Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia played a key role in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Arsenal, it has emerged.
The Gunners signed the Gabon hitman from Borussia Dortmund in a £56million deal in January 2018.
However, the German side were only willing to sell once they secured his replacement.
They eventually brought in Michy Batshuayi on loan from the Blues instead after Granovskaia gave the go-ahead, with Arsenal agreeing to let Olivier Giroud move to Stamford Bridge.
Former Gunners transfer guru Dick Law revealed: "It was the three-way deal. Dortmund said if we don't get the player from Chelsea , then Aubameyang doesn't leave and, of course, if we didn't get Aubameyang, we weren't going to let Giroud go.
"In football, we don't end up talking to our counterparts on a personal basis very much, but we were at such loggerheads during that three-way move that I called Marina [Granovskaia] and said everything was going to live or die on the three of us trusting each other.
"I've got so much respect for Marina, she's always been a straight shooter.
"And she said if we get Giroud, we will loan our player to Dortmund and then you guys can sort yourselves out with them. And that's what happened."
