Arsenal have reportedly struck an agreement with former Atletico Madrid chief Andrea Berta to become the club's new sporting director.
The Italian was said to have been one of several candidates in the running to succeed the long-serving Edu, who surprisingly stepped down from his position in late 2024 and was temporarily replaced by Jason Ayto.
Ayto - Edu's former right-hand man - was also understood to have been shortlisted for the permanent position, despite overseeing a January transfer window in which the Gunners failed to reinforce an injury-hit attack.
Dan Ashworth, Roberto Olabe and Thiago Scuro were also linked with the vacancy, but Berta was quickly identified as the standout option, and Arsenal reportedly entered advanced talks with the 53-year-old last week.
Now, The Athletic claims that Arsenal and Berta have shaken hands on an agreement that will see the Italian become the club's new sporting director, and he 'prioritised' the Gunners despite there being other high-profile opportunities available.
Mikel Arteta's 'input' in sporting director search revealed
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Berta - named the Best Sporting Director of the Year at the 2019 Globe Soccer Awards - was apparently also head-hunted by AC Milan, but the 53-year-old rejected the chance to move to San Siro, and his other suitors have now been informed that he has chosen Arsenal.
First-team head coach Mikel Arteta is said to have had an 'input' throughout the process, which was spearheaded by managing director Richard Garlick and executive vice-chair Tim Lewis.
Co-chair Josh Kroenke was also involved in the process on behalf of Arsenal's owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), and all parties are now thrashing out the final details of Berta's contract.
The 53-year-old - who has reportedly been learning English in London to prepare for a potential move to Arsenal - spent 11-and-a-half years at Atletico, firstly joining as a technical director in 2013 before moving to the role of sporting director in 2017.
Diego Simeone's side won two La Liga titles and the Europa League during his lengthy tenure, in addition to reaching two Champions League finals, and they are in contention for the Spanish top-flight crown this season as they sit second in the table, one point behind Barcelona.
Andrea Berta's transfer history following Arsenal 'agreement'
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Over the course of 11-and-a-half years in the Spanish capital before his exit in January, Berta oversaw Atletico's five most expensive arrivals in club history and their eight most expensive departures of all time.
The 53-year-old does not boast a perfect track record with big-money signings, as Joao Felix failed to live up to his £106.7m price tag and was sold to Chelsea for £43.6m last summer at a £63.1m loss.
However, Berta helped broker the 2014 signings of Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak for relatively modest fees, and the pair have since become legends at the club, before capturing Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher in marquee moves last year.
Griezmann was also re-signed at a low fee after his £100.7m sale to Barcelona in 2019, while Lucas Hernandez, Rodri, Matheus Cunha and Arsenal's Thomas Partey have all left for fees of €50m (£42m) or above.
Arsenal have often been criticised by fans for their failure to sell players for a reasonable fee, and Berta's experience in that area could see the Gunners make major improvements ahead of the summer, where the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior are among the contracted players who could be on the chopping block.
Ben Knapton
