Arsenal are reportedly expected to hold preliminary talks over a deal for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, whom incoming sporting director Andrea Berta rates very highly.

The Gunners are now understood to have reached an agreement to hire Berta as their new sporting director following the Italian's exit from Atletico Madrid in January.

Arsenal made Berta their standout candidate after considering the likes of Thiago Scuro, Roberto Olabe, Dan Ashworth and current interim director Jason Ayto as a successor to Edu, who resigned from his post last year.

During his successful 11-and-a-half years with Atletico, Berta oversaw a number of big-money arrivals and departures, most notably the likes of Joao Felix, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Thomas Lemar.

One item on the 53-year-old's Arsenal in-tray will be the signing of a new big-money striker ahead of the 2025-26 season, and according to , Inter's Martinez would be a top pick for Berta.

The former Atletico chief apparently tried and failed to bring the Argentina international to Diego Simeone's side while he was working in the Spanish capital, and he remains a 'big fan' of Martinez.