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Sevilla in talks to bring back reported Arsenal target Monchi

Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Famed scouting savant Monchi may not be on his way to Arsenal after all.

Linked to a rendezvous with former colleague Unai Emery in north London, it appears Monchi could instead return to Sevilla as club president Jose Castro admitted the two parties have held discussions.

"Sevilla Football Club now needs a director of football and we want the best. And Monchi is the best. We are having productive conversations with him," Castro said during Friday's press conference.

Monchi, who left his post at Roma last week following manager Eusebio Di Francesco's dismissal, graduated from Sevilla's youth setup to make a first-team league debut in 1990. The former shot-stopper retired in 1999 at the age of 30 with a scant 20 appearances under his belt. He was named director of football in 2000 on the heels of Sevilla's relegation.

From there, Monchi's legend grew through the discoveries of Sergio Ramos, Jose Antonio Reyes, Jesus Navas, and others. The scouting czar also turned significant profits on the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Dani Alves, and Adriano - among others - en route to winning 11 trophies with Sevilla prior to the Roma switch in 2017.

Monchi, 50, has been linked with Arsenal since Sven Mislintat's shock decision in February to quit as the Premier League outfit's head of recruitment after just 14 months with the club.

It was a busy day for the Andalusians as Pablo Machin was relieved of his managerial duties one day after a Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague. Director of football Joaquin Caparros was named interim manager.

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