Arsenal’s Andrea Berta has held talks with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams in one of his first acts as the club’s new sporting director.
The Gunners announced Berta had joined the club on Sunday, replacing Edu, who left his post in November after five years alongside Mikel Arteta, to work under Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Berta left Atletico Madrid in January and revealed his delight at joining Arsenal over the weekend.
“I am thrilled to be joining Arsenal in what is a hugely exciting period for the club,” he told the club’s official website.
“I have watched with great interest the way Arsenal has evolved in recent years and I have admired the hard work that has gone into re-establishing the club as a major force in European football with a passionate following around the world.
“The club has great values and a rich history, and I am looking forward to playing my part in shaping a successful future with a great team. I cannot wait to get started in my new role and I am really looking forward to experiencing my first game at Emirates Stadium together with our supporters.”
It’s been claimed that Berta will be handed £300m in his first transfer window this summer, and The Guardian claim he’s met with the representatives of Williams to enquire over his possible signing.
Arsenal were keen on Williams last summer after his starring role for Spain in their Euro 2024, but they and Barcelona were both knocked back by the 22-year-old, who opted to stay with Athletic Bilbao.
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It’s claimed he will now ‘push for a move this summer’ and Berta met with agent Felix Tainta this week to see whether he can be persuaded to join Arsenal over other interested parties.
Barcelona remain keen while Bayern Munich and Chelsea are also ‘in the race’ for Williams, who has a release clause of €58m (£48m).
The report adds that ‘Arsenal’s long-term interest and the role of Berta, formerly sporting director at Atletico Madrid, could persuade him to move to north London’.
Arteta confirmed ahead of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday that this summer’s transfer window is going to be “a big one”.
Arteta said: “It’s going to be a big one and we are very excited about it.
“The way we planned the five first summers, they were going to be very big and they were going to have different objectives because the turnaround of players and the objective of those windows was going to be different.
“But now when you are going to go again, we want to increase the depth of the squad but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step.”