Ornstein reveals plan as Sokratis Papastathopoulos deal close

That’s according to BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein, who says Sven Mislintat is behind the Gunners’ move for the Greece international.

Arsenal are in the midst of a summer of change following Unai Emery's appointment as Arsene Wenger's successor at the Emirates.

Emery takes on the role of head coach in the club's new continental model, with Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi in charge of recruitment.

And Ornstein, who broke news of Emery's appointment, says the 29-year-old's arrival is part of a wider plan to buy seasoned stars.

"As per @JackPittBrooke Arsenal close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Dortmund," he wrote on Twitter.

"Latest acquisition led by Sven Mislintat, continues drive to rebuild defence/squad with experience/leadership.

"#AFC prioritising ready players & will integrate youth (eg Mavropanos) over time."

Arsenal are said to be paying around £16m for Papastathopoulos, who joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2013.

They are believed to have budgeted for just £50m net spend going into the summer window - far less than those of their Premier League rivals.

Transfer guru Guillem Balague believes Arsenal can make that projected amount work by boosting their funds with sales though.

"Up until now, as everybody knows, everything had to go through Arsene Wenger but Unai Emery is happy to repeat the same position he has had at Sevilla, Valencia and PSG in which he was a head coach," said Balague.

"This means - if it's the same infrastructure - he can advise on what kind of players he needs and the club goes and gets them, for instance, and he won't have much of a say in the amount of budget that's needed. That will be down to the club.

"He will do what he is the best at - maximise the potential of the side and take the players out of their comfort zone. He will try and put a different kind of training, an intense training, in place with the idea that it gets transmitted into the games.