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Arsenal to launch Overmars SWOOP after Monchi rejects fresh approach - EXCLUSIVE
ARSENAL are stepping up their interest in bringing Marc Overmars back to North London as their new technical director as they look set to miss out on first choice Monchi.
Monchi was the favourite for the role after he left Roma last week.
But he could now be on the verge of returning to his and Unai Emery’s former club Sevilla.
The Gunners had offered the Spaniard a lucrative three-year deal to move to the Emirates.
But he is ready to turn it down in favour of working in La Liga once again.
It means that the Gunners will have to look elsewhere to fill the role as head of recruitment which was vacated by Sven Mislintat.
Overmars, who helped the Gunners to a Premier League and FA Cup double in 1998, is currently working for another of his former clubs Ajax.
They are keen on Overmars, who has guided Ajax into the quarter-final of the Champions League and is under contract for another year, before Monchi became available.
Yet Monchi was certainly first choice in the halls of the Emirates.
Arsenal spent £51m on three payers in the summer, with Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi all arriving.
The year before that they spent big, with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang combining to cost £102m.
Arsenal are desperate to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season in order to secure passage into the lucrative Champions League once again.
They have competed in the Europa League over the past two seasons.
Winning European football’s secondary club competition does grant access to the Champions League the following term.
But Arsenal face a tricky quarter-final encounter with Napoli to progress to the last-four.