Premier League club want to recruit Arsenal sporting director Edu as right-hand man of owner: Reports

According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is looking to offer Arsenal sporting director Edu a CEO-esque role in his international football business.

Marinakis owns three clubs in European football. Apart from Forest, he's also the owner of Greek club Olympiakos and Portuguese club Rio Ave. He's looking to offer Edu a role where the Brazilian would be in charge of all three clubs' football-related business.

Edu, a former midfielder with Arsenal, Valencia and Brazil, worked as the director of football for Corinthians and was also Brazil's general co-ordinator for three years.

He joined the Gunners' board in 2019 and has since played an important role in their transfer business. It's unclear whether the Forest owner has come up with an informal approach to Edu.

However, the development could be disruptive to the north London club's summer transfer business as they look to build a league-winning squad. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Manchester City ace Julian Alvarez (as per The Sun).

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Edu looking to complete another transfer masterclass for Arsenal

Edu has been known for his shrewd transfer strategies. Arsenal have looked for bargain deals instead of overpaying, especially for players aged more than 28.

The Gunners have been linked with Spain's Euro 2024 winner Mikel Merino, who is in the final year of his Real Sociedad contract. The player has been a regular in European competitions over the years.

While Transfermarkt values Merino at £42 million, the Gunners are looking to land a bid of £25 million, as per football.london. If a deal goes through on that sum, Edu could help Mikel Arteta's side save a lot of money on potential new acquisitions.

While Merino, 28, could be a risky deal due to his age, given the current circumstances, he could be a smart signing for the Gunners.