Former Valencia boss Marcelino Garcia Toral has been in London to hold talks with Arsenal, report Cadena Cope.
Marcelino was sacked at Los Che in September despite consecutive top four finishes for the club, alongside guiding the side to their first trophy in 11 years – beating Barcelona in May’s Copa del Rey final.
It follows on from reports in Goal in Spain and Marca that the North London club want him to replace the sacked Unai Emery in the hotseat.
Prior to Marcelino’s arrival at the Mestalla, Valencia had finished 12th in successive seasons with his level of intensity and organisation said to be vital for their rejuvenation.
The Gunners are now in the midst of their worst run of form in many years and are currently ninth in the standings.
Despite reaching the Europa League final in Emery’s first campaign at the helm, the mood shifted decisively with a series of underwhelming results and performances.
The recent loss against Eintracht Frankfurt means they have not yet advanced to the Europa League knockout stages, but anything other than a heavy loss at Standard Liege in their final group game will see them advance.
Marcelino has coached in Spain across two decades while also having spells at Sporting Gijon, Recreativo Huelva, Racing Santander, Sevilla and Villarreal.
