Borussia Dortmund appears to have impressed Pep Guardiola so much during his tenure in the Bundesliga that he's launched a raid on the club.
The Spaniard has looked to Dortmund, who came runner-up in two of his three seasons in Germany, as he aims to strengthen his new club Manchester City.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan joined Guardiola at City from Dortmund last week, while the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks set to follow him to the Etihad Stadium this week.
With the majority of players either featuring in the European Championships or Copa America this summer, Guardiola may be one step ahead of his rivals already.
Guardiola's arrival in England reignites his rivalry with Jose Mourinho, the new Manchester United manager, after the two competed at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, from 2010 through 2012.
Eric Bailly, the 22-year-old defender, was announced as Mourinho's first signing at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but the former Chelsea manager will be concerned about falling behind his old foe.
The Portuguese recognises the importance of not leaving transfers too late, having won the Premier League title with Chelsea last year after signing Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis by mid-July in 2014.
Mourinho's permanent successor at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte, is juggling his duties in west London with his role as Italy head coach at Euro 2016. Chelsea is yet to make a signing this summer.
Arsenal announced the capture of attacking midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach in May and the club is seeking the services of Leicester City's Jamie Vardy.
But Jurgen Klopp is yet to make any major signings at Liverpool, leaving Guardiola mentally ahead of his rivals with just over two months to go till the start of the season.