According to reports, Barcelona’s presidential candidate Joan Laporta wants Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta to succeed Ronald Koeman, should the Dutchman leave the Nou Camp at the end of this season.
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Arteta, 38, was named as Arsenal’s manager in December 2019 following the sacking of Unai Emery.
The Spaniard could not have got off to a better start after beating rivals Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final less than 12-months after being appointed.
However, the turn of the 2020-21 domestic campaign brought with it it’s own problems.
A series of shock results at the hands of individual disciplinary errors led to the Gunners slipping into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
After avoiding being shown the exit door, Arteta has done well to turn his side’s on-field fortunes around.
On a current run of results which includes just the one loss, albeit against impending champions Man City, in their last five games, Arsenal finally appear to be on an upwards trajectory.
However, according to a recent report from RAC1 (as relayed by ESPN), La Liga giants Barcelona could be casting a keen eye over Arsenal’s young Spanish manager.
Arteta has previous connections to Barcelona after coming through their youth ranks as a player, RAC1 claim that should Laporta win the up and coming presidential elections, he’ll target Arteta.
Despite the surprise links, it has also been noted that Laporta is only likely to consider going after Arteta if current manager Koeman does not extend his stay beyond the end of this season.