Just weeks after Vasseur revealed that he had signed a "top guy" to join the team in 2025, the identity of the individual has finally emerged as being Mercedes' performance director Loic Serra.
First reported by Italian website Formu1a.uno and confirmed to Autosport by sources with good knowledge of the situation, Serra has agreed to leave his current job and move to the Italian team.
However, it is understood that Vasseur and Ferrari are going to have to wait a while to get hold of Serra due to his current contract that runs until 2025.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari have declined to comment on the developments, but it is understood that negotiations are now taking place between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Ferrari team boss Vasseur over the matter.
However, sources have suggested there is unlikely to be an early release.
Serra has a long history in Formula 1 having originally begun his career as a tyre engineer at Michelin, with a speciality in suspension and vehicle dynamics.
After Michelin announced its withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2006, Serra joined BMW Sauber as head of vehicle performance, before moving to Mercedes in 2010 originally as chief engineer of vehicle engineering.
He has since moved through the ranks, becoming head of vehicle dynamics in 2013, and then promoted to performance director in 2018.
Source: Autosport