Arsenal could turn to a familiar face in their search for a new permanent manager.
Former Gunners midfielder and current Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta met with Arsenal executives to discuss the managerial vacancy in north London, according to BBC Sport's Simon Stone.
It's understood that Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and director of football operations Huss Fahmy met with Arteta in his Manchester home for a meeting that concluded in the early hours of Monday morning, Nick Ames of the Guardian reports.
It remains unclear if Arsenal offered Arteta a contract to succeed Unai Emery, according to Stone. Emery was relieved of his duties at the end of November after less than two years at the helm.
Arsenal have also reportedly held talks with former Valencia manager Marcelino Garcia Toral and are apparently eager to speak with former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked hours after helping Napoli clinch a place in the Champions League knockout stage last week.
The north London outfit was supposedly willing to give interim manager Freddie Ljungberg until May before making a decision on Emery's long-term replacement, according to Ames.
But after Sunday's crushing 3-0 defeat against Manchester City, Ljungberg, who has just one victory in five matches since being given the job, urged the club to expedite its search for a new permanent manager and "make a decision - regardless of what that is."
Arteta, 37, made 149 appearances for Arsenal following his transfer from Everton in 2011. He was previously linked with the Gunners job before club officials opted to hire Emery to replace legendary manager Arsene Wenger in 2018.
The Spaniard has been a member of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff since 2016.