Arsenal are reportedly trying to strengthen their recruitment team ahead of a busy by moving to hire Matteo Tognozzi. are and is keen to bring in reinforcements.

The club knows that they need to improve their squad if they are to take the next step under in 2025/26. Arsenal have finished second in the for three straight campaigns and were in the semi-finals by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain last season.

Former Atletico Madrid recruitment chief Berta was hired in March with the remit . The Gunners have already snared Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi for £51million, but have a whole host of other players on their radar.

They are not just working on signing players, though, with reporting that Tognozzi is in advanced talks to join Berta’s department. The 38-year-old Italian has previously worked for and Granada and is well regarded as a recruitment specialist.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

He made his name working under former sporting director Fabio Paratici at Juventus. If Arsenal can conclude a deal, then Tognozzi will effectively replace Jason Ayto, who left last month having climbed the ranks over 10 years at the club to become assistant sporting director under Berta’s predecessor Edu.

Arsenal are keen to get Tognozzi on board soon because time is of the essence in the transfer market. Zubimendi is expected to become the first signing of what will be an extremely busy summer, with several other positions being looked at.

According to reports in , over a deal for . The young midfielder could cost the Gunners around £38m, although he would remain at Genk for next season to continue his development.

HAVE YOUR SAY! What is the most important deal Arsenal can do this summer? .

Meanwhile, the main focus is on landing a top-class centre-forward, with Arsenal keen on both RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. A final decision on which they will go for is reportedly yet to be taken by Berta, who has been pondering the financial frameworks of the deals.

Arsenal also have a long-term interest in Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams and would like to sign a new back-up goalkeeper after Neto returned to at the end of his loan deal. They are reportedly keeping an eye on Kepa Arrizabalaga, who performed well at Bournemouth last season and has a £5m release clause in his contract.

The club’s co-chairman, Josh Kroenke, has made it clear that the Gunners mean business this summer. "We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season," Kroenke said. "We're delighted we have our sporting director, Andrea, who will play an important role in this.

"He is part of a unified and strong team, supported by the board, who are crystal clear on exactly what we need to do and the way in which we want to do it. The right way. The way."

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our