Arsenal given Bradley Barcola dream transfer edge after making Andrea Berta decision

The potential arrival of Andrea Berta as the new Arsenal sporting director has opened up plenty of discussion around who exactly the club might target in the summer. There are already some well-established links to players that are expected to extend into the Italian’s tenure.

football.london understands that Martin Zubimendi is a key target for the summer with work behind the scenes already done by Edu Gaspar and then after his resignation interim sporting director Jason Ayto taking on his responsibilities. What happens to Ayto after the appointment of the new figurehead remains unclear for now.

Berta's links to Spanish football should not make a move for Zubimendi any trickier – unless he has any drastic concerns over the potential move. That said, in any interview process it would be fair to assume existing ambitions of Mikel Arteta for the summer would have aligned with the new director.

What other potential additions and ideas Berta might have, though, will be very intriguing to see. Beyond a midfielder, the forward line remains a key area where the club will be looking to invest.

One aspect of Berta’s potential partnership is the relationships that pre-exist with the Italian and his connections. One established link is the super agent Jorge Mendes, known for his involvement with some of the world’s biggest players and the sport's most famous transfer moves. Although it is worth pointing out Mendes' own links with Atletico Madrid extended well beyond Berta.

That said, his current list of clients is thought to contain one potential forward who, at least for my personal view, would be one of the most exciting forward options the club could turn to, Bradley Barcola. The PSG winger, just 22 years of age, has taken Ligue 1 by storm both prior to and after his move to the French champions.

Moreover, he has also broken into the Champions League level with great aplomb. Six goal contributions in 12 European matches adds to 13 goals and seven assists in 26 Ligue 1 games.

His total tally for the season across all competitions sits at 18 goals and 12 assists in 43 games, at just 22 remember. His speed, pace and ability to beat a man and find his teammates as well as being deadly in front of goal would make his the perfect opposite to Bukayo Saka in an Arsenal side.

Could it be that Berta’s links can help make this dream move happen? Potentially, but it would no doubt cost a serious sum after PSG already paid over €40million (£33.6million) to take him away from Lyon in 2023.

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