Borussia Dortmund's highly respected chief scout Sven Mislintat is in the frame to take over the same role at Arsenal, sources have told ESPN FC.
Mislintat has been credited with a number of Dortmund's most successful signings in recent years, including Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele.
Bayern Munich ended an attempt to hire Mislintat as their new technical director in August, but sources say Arsenal are in talks to appoint him as their chief scout.
Steve Rowley, who has held that job at Arsenal since Arsene Wenger took over as manager in 1996, is reportedly close to leaving amid a backroom shakeup to modernise the club's transfer dealings.
Neither Dortmund nor Arsenal would comment on Mislintat, though a source close to the North London club told ESPN FC that nothing has been finalised in regards to Rowley's future.
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Hiring Mislintat would be the biggest sign yet that Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis is serious about making big changes behind the scenes, as he promised after Wenger was handed a new two-year contract in the summer.
Plans to appoint a director of football appear to be on hold after Wenger publicly baulked at the idea, while chief transfer negotiator Dick Law has yet to be replaced after stepping down in September.
Mislintat has become one of the most sought-after talent spotters in Europe after helping identify and recruit a long list of young stars to Dortmund since joining the club in 2007.
He enjoys a very close relationship with Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc, but had a highly publicised falling out with former coach Thomas Tuchel in 2016 after a January move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Oliver Torres collapsed.
Source: espn.co.uk