Arsenal ‘advanced’ in talks for transfer wizard as Fabrizio Romano provides lowdown on new sporting director

Arsenal are closing in on a deal to appoint former Atletico Madrid director Andrea Berta as their replacement for Edu as sporting director at Emirates Stadium.

The Brazilian decided to leave Arsenal last November, with the sporting director then opting to link up with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to work with his network of clubs – including Olympiacos and Rio Ave.

Since his departure, Edu’s number two, Jason Ayto, was promoted to interim director but the club have been considering candidates to fill the role permanently.

Following his exit, the Gunners had a disappointing January transfer window as they failed to buy any players at a time when they desperately needed attacking reinforcements.

Now, Fabrizio Romano claims Berta is the top candidate to replace Edu at the north London outfit. He adds that discussions between the two parties have already taken place, talks are at an ‘advanced stage’ but a deal has not yet been agreed.

This comes less than two months after Berta and Atletico reached an agreement to terminate his contract at the Spanish side after nearly 12 years together. Whether this is linked to Arsenal’s interest remains to be seen.

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Arteta’s telling transfer admission

Arsenal are seeking their first Premier League title since 2004 and after two second-place finishes, they seemed primed to finally top the pile in 2024/25.

However, the rise of Liverpool and the Gunners not quite hitting the heights of the two previous campaigns means their wait for league silverware may continue.

In light of forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz being ruled out for the season through injury, Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in the winter transfer window seems baffling. And even manager Arteta admitted his disappointment at failing to get some deals done.

Last month, the Spaniard said: “We had a clear intention which is obvious. There is a window open to explore the possibilities to improve our squad with players that can impact it. We haven’t achieved it.

“So we are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kind of players. We have to be very disciplined with that as well and I think we were.

“I wouldn’t like to go into too much detail. We couldn’t do it for certain reasons and we have to accept it, that’s it. It was a combination of things.”

Now that Arsenal are 13 points behind league leaders Liverpool, they may rue that transfer inactivity.

Arsenal transfer roundup: Digging in on Saliba, Zubimendi alternative

Arsenal have hatched a plan to stop William Saliba from leaving for Real Madrid, with a report revealing how much the Gunners are willing to pay the central defender.

The Gunners are said to be ready to offer the France international nearly £250,000-a-week to fend off Los Blancos.

Elsewhere, Arsenal have reportedly identified Pablo Barrios as a potential alternative to Martin Zubimendi, who may be a difficult player to sign.

The Real Sociedad star is expected to leave the club this summer and if Arteta’s team fail in their pursuit of the midfielder, they could for for Atletico’s Barrios instead.

Finally, Arsenal may be preparing for a U-turn as they may offer soon-to-be out of contract ace Thomas Partey a new deal.

Berta’s success at Atletico Madrid

Berta initially served as Atletico’s technical director for four years, guiding them through two Champions League finals, before becoming sporting director in 2017.

Berta has overseen a number of eye-catching transfers and won the Sporting Director of the Year accolade at the Globe Soccer Awards back in 2019.

Some of his most eye-catching deals include signing David Villa from Barcelona in 2013 for just €5.1million, with the striker helping them to La Liga glory the following summer.

He was also involved in bringing Antoine Griezmann, who has gone onto become a club legend, from Real Sociedad in 2014.

Among other success stories, he also brought academy product Rodri back to the club in 2018 and six years later he was named the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner at Manchester City.

For a complete list of his best Atletico transfers, click here.