Arsenal have been told there is little point in their interest in Romanian wonderkid Ianis Stoica, with no prospect of him leaving in the coming months.
Stoica, 18, has six goals and two assists in just 14 games for the country’s biggest club FCSB and has caught the eye of scouts across Europe.
The north Londoners have made a habit of buying young in recent times, spending £150million on players in the summer - all of whom were 23 or under.
Technical director Edu admitted that the policy had been put in place in order to build a long-term foundation for success at the Emirates.
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"I understand the fans. I understand the reason and I accept that, but we will need a bit of time to do what we plan to do,” Edu said when asked about the response to the club’s new strategy.
"I know this type of work, when we are talking about signings, and needing patience hurts Arsenal fans a lot, but it is the reality.
"That's why when I say to you we have to create a good foundation and to create a good foundation you need time."
Arsenal look set to be in the market for a young striker with Alexandre Lacazette months away from becoming a free agent.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has already confirmed that he has pushed back contract talks with the 30 year old Frenchman, leaving him open to signing a pre-contract agreement at the turn of the year.
"I don’t know there is so much stuff on his contract," Arteta said on Friday. "What I can say is I’m really happy with what Lacazette is doing.
"We’re not going to be talking about any of that until the end of the season."
Stoica fits the mould of a young and talented replacement perfectly and owner Josh Kroenke has already hinted that more funds will be made available for Mikel Arteta in January after a promising start to the season.
Reports in Romania claim Arsenal scouts have been monitoring the forward’s progress for the last two months and plan on visiting Romania to thrash out a deal with the club’s controversial owner Gigi Becali.
But Becali has confirmed they have no intention of selling ‘the jewel’ of their team in the coming months, opening the possibility that Arsenal could lose Lacazette and fail to land a viable replacement.
"It is good that Arsenal are monitoring Ianis, but there is no point as he is not for sale,” he explained.
"He could be in a year or two, but not yet. He is technically skilled, physically strong and very smart.
"To look at him, you'd think he is 23 years old - not 18."
