Berta has also held Arsenal talks with £50m star alongside Nico Williams

New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has personally reached out to another player alongside Nico Williams, amid credible reports that talks have been held with the latter’s representatives this week.

Berta holds Arsenal talks with Nico Williams’ camp

Multiple reliable media sources have claimed that Berta has reached out to Williams’ camp over the last few days, as the Italian makes a fast start to his tenure as director and looks to tempt the Spain international with a Premier League move.

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Foot Mercato first broke news that Berta made contact with the 22-year-old’s agents in the last few days, with The Guardian’s Ed Aarons then backing this report in a statement made on X.

Arsenal’s links to Williams are nothing new, as it is rumoured Mikel Arteta was after him last summer as well, but the winger opted to remain at Bilbao for another campaign and further his development in La Liga.

However, his stance has now changed, and it is now expected that Williams will push for a Bilbao exit this summer in a boost for Berta and Arsenal. However, N5 is by no means his only potential landing spot, with Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich all contending for his signature.

The £200,000-per-week forward has a £48 million release clause written into his contract this summer, which would be quite the coup for a player who bagged 19 assists in all competitions for Bilbao last term and helped Spain to Euro 2024 glory.

The main obstacle to any transfer being completed is his reported wage demands, which some sources state to be in the region of £300,000-per-week.

While it is unclear whether Arsenal can strike a deal just yet, Berta is clearly stamping his authority just days after he was confirmed as the man to replace Edu.

Andrea Berta holds Arsenal talks with Martin Zubimendi

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, the 53-year-old has reached out to another top transfer target – Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

As per their information, Berta has also held Arsenal talks with Zubimendi, as he looks to get Williams’ international teammate over the line as well. The midfielder, who would come in to replace Thomas Partey and Jorginho, is expected to complete a move to Arsenal (Dharmesh Sheth), despite interest from Real Madrid.

Arsenal are planning to trigger his £50 million release clause and finally tempt him to England, one year after Zubimendi publicly rejected Liverpool. Called a “world-class” player by Gunners left-back Kieran Tierney, Fabrizio Romano also called Zubimendi the “perfect” midfielder for Arteta last summer.

“My personal feeling is that Zubimendi would be fantastic, even if Onana and Douglas have the advantage of both already knowing the Premier League,” said the reporter to CaughtOffside.

“Zubimendi is fantastic player, he can help with his vision, quality and intelligence on the ball – he’s the perfect midfielder.”