Andrea Berta is overseeing Arsenal’s summer transfer business in conjunction withMikel Arteta (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal are close to making their first summer signing with Martin Zubimendi set to undergo a medical.

The Spain interna…

Rafael Leao is on Arsenal’s shortlist for the summer transfer window (Getty)

Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta is looking to reinforce …

Mikel Arteta has opened up on his relationship with new Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta amid speculation they are at odds over several key transfer targets.

After missing out on the Premier League title for a third season in a row, the Gunners are expected to spend heavily in the summer window.

Having resisted the temptation to add a new forward to their ranks in January, a new striker looks to be the No.1 priority.

Arsenal came close to signing RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko 12 months ago before he opted to sign a new contract and Arteta is thought to be a huge admirer.

Alexander Isak is the dream target, but Newcastle have little need to sell, especially now they appear guaranteed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Berta, who joined Arsenal as Edu’s replacement earlier this year, meanwhile, is thought to be pushing his new club to make a move for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Asked ahead of Sunday’s match with Newcastle, Arteta was asked about how the dynamic is working between him and Berta andhe said: ‘Very good, they’re two very completely different personalities, characters and backgrounds.

‘But he’s someone who’s very driven and very clear in his ideas, vision and how we want to achieve it, and very supportive of everything that’s been done here, with a lot of people who have contributed massively to the position that we are today as a club.

‘The squad that we have, the players and the staff that we have, and he’s ready to add value and make us better. That’s the reason why we’ve chosen him to be here with us.’

Pressed on whether the two men are fully alligned on which players to target, he said: #On what we have to do, yes. On what we can do, I don’t know. I think sometimes from the plan that we had, and actually what we’re able to execute, we’ve never been able to replicate it exactly.

‘This is football, it happens to every football club, that’s why we plan certain ways and okay, if we cannot do it, we do something else.

‘I think the aim is clear but then you have to just do it slowly, thing by thing and start to achieve it.

‘A big part of that as well is keeping and making sure that the players that are here are happy, they feel valued and they are willing to continue with us. That’s very, very important.’

On the consequences of potentially not all being on the same page, he added: ‘If that happens that means that we cannot explain ourselves well enough and we are not clear enough on what we want, and I guarantee you that hasn’t happened.

‘It didn’t happen in five-and-a-half years with Edu and I guarantee you [the same] with Andrea. They are good to say: “Mikel, look this and this is what we need,” and I say go for it and do it.

‘If not it’s because I will ask that many questions and we will do so much work that it will be so evident that this is what we don’t have to do, it’s not going to fit.

‘We have learned a lot, some of them that have worked really well and others not and that’s for the ones as well that we have to learn so well to make sure that we make the right calls but we are all human beings and fortunately nobody’s got a crystal ball here!’

Mikel Arteta has opened up on his relationship with new Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta amid speculation they are at odds over several key transfer targets.

After missing out on the Premier League title for a third season in a row, the Gunners are expected to spend heavily in the summer window.

Having resisted the temptation to add a new forward to their ranks in January, a new striker looks to be the No.1 priority.

Arsenal came close to signing RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko 12 months ago before he opted to sign a new contract and Arteta is thought to be a huge admirer.

Alexander Isak is the dream target, but Newcastle have little need to sell, especially now they appear guaranteed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Berta, who joined Arsenal as Edu’s replacement earlier this year, meanwhile, is thought to be pushing his new club to make a move for Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Asked ahead of Sunday’s match with Newcastle, Arteta was asked about how the dynamic is working between him and Berta andhe said: ‘Very good, they’re two very completely different personalities, characters and backgrounds.

‘But he’s someone who’s very driven and very clear in his ideas, vision and how we want to achieve it, and very supportive of everything that’s been done here, with a lot of people who have contributed massively to the position that we are today as a club.

‘The squad that we have, the players and the staff that we have, and he’s ready to add value and make us better. That’s the reason why we’ve chosen him to be here with us.’

Pressed on whether the two men are fully alligned on which players to target, he said: #On what we have to do, yes. On what we can do, I don’t know. I think sometimes from the plan that we had, and actually what we’re able to execute, we’ve never been able to replicate it exactly.

‘This is football, it happens to every football club, that’s why we plan certain ways and okay, if we cannot do it, we do something else.

‘I think the aim is clear but then you have to just do it slowly, thing by thing and start to achieve it.

‘A big part of that as well is keeping and making sure that the players that are here are happy, they feel valued and they are willing to continue with us. That’s very, very important.’

On the consequences of potentially not all being on the same page, he added: ‘If that happens that means that we cannot explain ourselves well enough and we are not clear enough on what we want, and I guarantee you that hasn’t happened.

‘It didn’t happen in five-and-a-half years with Edu and I guarantee you [the same] with Andrea. They are good to say: “Mikel, look this and this is what we need,” and I say go for it and do it.

‘If not it’s because I will ask that many questions and we will do so much work that it will be so evident that this is what we don’t have to do, it’s not going to fit.

‘We have learned a lot, some of them that have worked really well and others not and that’s for the ones as well that we have to learn so well to make sure that we make the right calls but we are all human beings and fortunately nobody’s got a crystal ball here!’

Andrea Berta will mastermind Arsenal’s transfer dealings this summer alongside Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty)

Mikel Arteta could be forced to abandon his hopes of signing Espanyol’s Joan Garcia if a cheaper alternative can be fo…

Another trophyless season for the Gunners.

Andrea Berta has responded to Real Madrid’s attempts to unsettle William Saliba by earmarking him as a priority transfer target.

The Arsenal transfer chief is facing a monumental summer during which he will be expected to oversee a largescale rebuilding project as well as tie the club’s key players to new long-term deals.

France international Saliba is regarded as one of Mikel Arteta’s crown jewels but the prospect of him leaving has been raised as a consequence of a contract that expires in 2027 and the prospect of another trophyless season.

The Real PR machine has been cranking up in recent weeks with Marca branding the 24-year-old as the ‘chosen one’, charged with the responsibility of underpinning a new-look defence.

Having been eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and looking likely to finish below Barcelona in La Liga, the Spanish giants are keen to inject some new blood in the heart of their defence with both Antonio Rudiger now 32 and Eder Militao recovering from a second cruciate knee ligament injury in the space of 12 months.

Berta, meanwhile, is well versed in the mechanics of Real’s transfer strategy as a consequence of his time with Atletico and, according to L’Équipe, is far from panicked by their public courtship.

Indeed, the new Arsenal sporting director, who took over from Edu last month, has instigated fresh contract talks with a player who is currently minded to stay with the club he supported as a boy.

Fresh contract talks have already begun and Arsenal remain hopeful that Saliba will commit his future to Arsenal.

Speaking about his own future ahead of last month’s Champions League tie against the clue who covet him, Saliba said: ‘I am really happy here.

‘I want to continue here. Not yet [talks over a new deal], there is no rush. I am happy here. That’s it.’

Arteta, meanwhile, attempted to play down any suggestion Saliba could be tempted by a move to the Spanish capital when he spoke ahead of last weekend’s defeat against Bournemouth.

‘Those kind of things are more for Andrea and the club to talk about,’ he said.

‘What I’m certain, because I had the conversation with him, is that he is so happy here, that he wants to continue with us and what will happen in the future with our negotiations and things that have to take time and process and be on top of them.

‘But I’m quite confident that William is very happy here and that’s the place that he wants to be.’

He’s deemed surplus to requirements in Paris.

‘It happens a lot…’

Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta will work in tandem this summer to oversee Arsenal’s transfer plans (Picture: Getty)

New Arsenal transfer chief Andrea Berta has been advised to hijack Manchester United’s move for Mattheus Cunha.
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