Michael Zorc to Arsenal? Borussia Dortmund shoot down talks about sporting director's potential departure

Borussia Dortmund have expressed regret after allowing Sven Mislintat to join Arsenal as their head of recruitment but made it clear that Michael Zorc will not follow his compatriot to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners confirmed the arrival of Mislintat on Monday (20 November) and he is expected to begin work in December after current head of scouting Steve Rowley steps down from his role as head scout following 25 years of service to the club.

The 45-year-old's capture from Dortmund is a major coup for the Gunners as he is linked with the transfers of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa, Mats Hummels, Robert Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele among others.

Arsene Wenger was delighted with Mislintat's arrival and is hoping that he can take Arsenal's recruitment process forward.

"We would like to keep him [Mislintat] of course," Sascha Fligge, Dortmund's director of communications said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

"He has been doing great scouting for the last ten years with Michel Zorc. He helped an improved scouting for the club and made it more professional. We have an extremely good relationship to him still.

"Of course, because of what he achieved, we decided this morning we will release him and let him go," he added.

Zorc, meanwhile, currently the sporting director at Dortmund, was also linked with a move to north London and take up a similar role with Arsenal. It was reported over the weekend that the Gunners would have to pay £1.75m ($2.31m) clause to terminate his contract and bring him to the Premier League.

The German club have firmly denied the speculation and made it clear that he will remain at the Westfalenstadion for the foreseeable future.

"Yes, definitely. There were rumours in England but this was just a rumour. He will definitely stay with us," the director of communications said when asked about speculation linking Zorc to Arsenal.