Arsenal risk last-minute Andrea Berta hijack as European giants eye sporting director

Arsenal are understood to be on the verge of announcing Andrea Berta as their new sporting director, replacing Edu, but their could be a new spanner in the works

Arsenal will need to fend off late interest from AC Milan to ensure they land sporting director target Andrea Berta, it has been claimed.

Berta, who left Atletico Madrid in January, has emerged as the Gunners’ top target as they look for a permanent successor to Edu. The Gunners were thought to have agreed terms with the Italian, but it looks as though there is one final hurdle to overcome.

Brescia-born Berta had spells with Italian clubs earlier in his career, but has spent more than a decade in Madrid. He oversaw a number of high-profile signings during his time with Atleti, including bringing Antoine Griezmann back to the Spanish capital from Barcelona.

There are conflicting reports about the 53-year-old’s future in the Italian press. While it had earlier been claimed that an agreement between Berta and Arsenal was already in place, doubt has now been cast on this.

According to Corriere della Sera (via talkSPORT), Milan haven’t yet given up on Berta. Club advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been involved in meetings to decide on a new appointment, and CEO Giorgio Furlani is poised to hold meetings with ‘at least four’ candidates.

One of those men is Thiago Scuro, the Monaco chief who was also on Arsenal’s radar. La Gazetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), which earlier played down Berta’s chances of ending up at Milan, named Scuro as one of several contenders.

Former Tottenham transfer guru Fabio Paratici is also said to be on the shortlist, along with Igli Tare and Markus Krosche. Paratici and ex-Lazio chief Tare are both currently unattached, while Krosche has served as Eintracht Frankfurt’s sporting CEO since 2021.

Is Andrea Berta the best candidate for Arsenal? Have your say in the comments section

On the pitch, Arsenal are in Champions League action against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night. A 7-1 first-leg win in the Netherlands means Mikel Arteta has the option to rotate, and suggested Ben White could be in line for a first start since November after recovering from knee surgery.

“I think we have to manage him very well because he was still having some issues to manage in terms of the load,” Arteta told reporters ahead of the game. “We’re very cautious to make sure that when he comes back, he can now maintain that level and there’s no more setbacks, but I think he’s in a good position now to give him a start.

“The connection that we had on the right side with him, Bukayo [Saka] and Martin [Odegaard] was something exceptional and a real threat in the team, we missed that. It’s true that Jurrien [Timber] has been equally exceptional as well with his performance and consistency. Now we’re going to have another option, which is great to have.”

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