Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta is targeting a move to lure Mikel Arteta to the club from Arsenal to lead the club's rebuild following the upcoming elections, according to reports.
The Catalan giants are currently voting in their latest elections, with the winner set to be announced on March 7th.
Pressure on the club is significant following a woeful campaign so far, with Barcelona well adrift in the La Liga title race and facing elimination from the Champions League after a heavy first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.
With Lionel Messi set to leave the Camp Nou at the end of the campaign and the prestigious La Masia academy not providing the stars that it previously did, and the club crippled by financial issues, a major rebuild is on the cards.
Among the presidential challengers is Laporta, who is looking to land the position again after leading the club during a seven-year stint from 2003 to 2010, where Barcelona were among Europe's elite and won two Champions League titles.
While there has long been a clamour for Pep Guardiola to return to Catalonia from Manchester City, it's now suggested that a different approach could be made.
According to Gerard Romero, journalist for Spanish outlet RAC1, Laporta is eyeing Arteta as one possible option to take the reigns, should Ronald Koeman not continue for next season.
It's added that Laporta believes Arteta is the ideal man to lead their project, having caught the eye since taking charge of Arsenal.
The former midfielder started his career at Barcelona but failed to make a single first-team appearance, making the move to join Paris Saint-Germain in 1999.
Arteta is currently tied to a contract with Arsenal that runs until 2023 and has the club's full support, where he has a close working relationship with Edu.
Laporta, who is believed to the front-runner, is up against Victor Font and Tony Freixa in the race to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu who stood down in October. Around 20,000 Barcelona have already voted via postal ballots.
