Arsenal are unwilling to meet the £60m price tag for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but would be interested in making an exchange deal with their out favour striker, Olivier Giroud. Giroud would obviously have to be paired with some sort of cash amount which has been reported to be £30m. Borussia Dortmund had previously expressed interest towards the Frenchman and are looking to trade Aubameyang.
Aubameyang has fallen under scrutiny in recent times after failing to show up to a team meeting before the club’s 0-0 draw against Wolfsburg on Sunday. This is not the first time the Gabon international has had to face disciplinary consequences and has been dubbed by club director, Michael Zorc to be a problem punctuality wise. Aubameyang had missed another game against VfB Stuttgart in November and this is starting to infuriate the Dortmund management.
Judging by the stance that players take towards a possible club exit as seen in the cases of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, Aubameyang’s behaviour is quite similar and maybe his time at the Westfalenstadion is pretty close to being over.
His talents are undeniable with a 21 goal tally in 23 matches this season and could do wonders at a struggling side like Arsenal in the Premier League. Aubameyang will not only earn himself a lucrative deal but will definitely feature in the starting lineup now that Alexis Sanchez is closing in on move to either of the Manchester clubs.
Olivier Giroud’s career will also take a huge boost who is currently suffering an unfortunate break on the sidelines due to injury. The 31-year-old has been dropped from the starting lineup except in the club’s Europa league fixtures and domestic cup appearances. But even then, the lack of minutes in the Premier League has not slowed him down one bit. Giroud has one of the best goal conversion rates with 4 goals in 14 substitute appearances in the league.
He has been impressive for the national team as well scoring a hat trick against Paraguay in 2nd June. A hat-trick for Les Blues after 17 years.
But France national team manager Guy Stephan had stated that Giroud might lose his spot for the side if he fails to appear regularly for the remainder of the season. A striker with rusty boots will not help the country in their World Cup run which is scheduled to start right after the season ends.
Having played in the English game for so long, not only will Giroud flourish in the Bundesliga, this deal can potentially push the seasonal ambitions for both clubs and help their goals of finishing in the Champions League qualification spot by the season end.
