Manchester United are reportedly interested in appointing Atletico Madrid's Andrea Berta as one of their football executives.
Berta has been Atletico's sporting director since 2017 and is said to be highly-respected in the European game, with both Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain are also believed to be keen to hire him.
According to The Independent, Man United are considering making an approach for Berta, and his arrival would not impact John Murtough's role as director of football.
The report claims that 'Berta's name has resurfaced' following the team's poor start to the season, with the club considering bringing in a transfer specialist.
The Italian has been with Atletico for 10 years in total, having served as a technical director for four years before being promoted to sporting director, and he has been credited with shaping the La Liga club's recent transfer business.
© Reuters
Man United have made a disastrous start to the 2023-24 campaign, losing six of their opening 10 matches in all competitions, including four of their first seven Premier League games.
The Red Devils will now be bidding to bounce back from successive home losses to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray when they host Brentford in the league on Saturday.
"I am responsible that we have the right mentality. My communication, my demands, my standards. It is my standards, that I demand from the players and in the togetherness and with the communication together," Man United boss Erik ten Hag told reporters during his press conference on Friday.
"Now I have to set that and that the right mentality is there. So and I give my 100 per cent effort every day to get that in.
© Reuters
"I think the fans are backing us and the fans are behind us. That is what I feel. And so and I'm sure that these players can be mentally very strong. I have the experience from last season and they were on many occasions, many games. They were mentally very strong.
"We have to fight. I think there's no club where we never go down. We are now in that place. But you have to fight only and we have to realise, everyone is there and we have to fight together.
"We have to be on that page and on every occasion. [In the] last game it was a very good example that we were for 28 minutes on top. One moment, we score a goal and then in one split second, we are not all on one page and straight away, it was the first shot the opponent got, straight in.
"You can't allow it in top football because it's about moments, isn't it? It's about details isn't it? So the opponent will always take benefit from it. So we can't allow them these small details."
There also remains off-the-field issues at Man United, with the Glazer family still in charge almost a year on from signalling a willingness to enter into discussions over a sale.
