Arsenal are set to swoop for Freiburg ace Caglar Soyuncu in a £35million deal… despite not having a manager.
The Gunners are plotting a summer deal for the Turkish defender, with head of recruitment Sven Mislintat driving the charge.
It is understood no potential manager interviewed to replace Arsene Wenger were asked for their opinion of 21-year-old Soyuncu, according to the Telegraph.
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That is becoming something of a recurring trend at the Emirates, with January deals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Konstantinos Mavropanos all sorted by Mislintat.
In fact, young Greek defender Mavropanos – who has shown signs of promise – was completely unknown to Wenger.
The French boss, 68, will finally leave North London this summer after 22 years in charge.
Now Arsenal are turning their attention to who will take over, with former midfielder Mikel Arteta said to be leading the race.
Massimiliano Allegri was the early favourite, however it seems he has opted to stay at Juventus for at least one more season.
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Patrick Vieira, Carlo Ancelotti and Brendan Rodgers are three other names tipped for the top job.
Reports claim Arsenal have concluded the interview stage of their manager hunt, with the new No1 set to be announced sooner rather than later.
