Former Arsenal midfielder Edu Gaspar has 'accepted' an offer to return to north London as director of football, according to reports.
The Gunners have been keen to add to their backroom staff since it was announced that Sven Mislintat, who had unearthed some of Europe's finest talents whilst at Borussia Dortmund, had left his role as head of recruitment in February.
Unai Emery's side have been linked with a number of high profile candidates over the last few months, but it now appears that former midfielder Edu, who spent five seasons at Highbury between 2001 and 2005, will be returning to the club.
That's according to reports from his native Brazil, that claim that Edu will join the Gunners at the conclusion of this summer's edition of the Copa America.
Edu, who represented Brazil on 15 occasions, currently holds the role of general co-ordinator for the national team, a role he took up when Tite took over as national team manager back in 2016.
Should the reports prove to be accurate, his appointment will end a long-running saga that has seen Arsenal linked with a number of candidates for the role. Former winger Marc Overmars, who currently holds a similar role at Ajax, has been touted as a potential target ever since Mislintat left the club, but he recently opted to sign a new deal with De Godenzonen.
Monchi, Andoni Zubizarreta and Robert Fernandez are other names who have been linked with the role alongside Edu, who reportedly turned down an offer to return to the Emirates Stadium in January.
He may well have had a change of heart, though, and if he is to return, he'll have a minor re-building job to co-ordinate with Emery, with the Gunners almost certain to miss out on finishing in this season's top four after drawing with Brighton at the weekend.
Source : 90min