Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is reported to have agreed personal terms with Premier League rivals Chelsea, only for the move to stall due to the Gunners’ missing the deadline set by their London rivals.
French publication L’Equipe claims that the France international has a contractual agreement in place with the Premier League holders, but the deal has not much further with the Gunners yet to respond to the Blues’ approach.
The former Montpellier man has been a brilliant servant for the Gunners over the past five-and-a-half seasons, but his future is likely to have a major say on the club’s ongoing pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsene Wenger’s side have already agreed upon a club-record package to sign the Gabon international from Borussia Dortmund, but the German side are adamant that they would need to first a replacement before sanctioning the deal.
As a result, there may be a potential transfer merry-go-round involving three players from Arsenal, Chelsea and Dortmund, though the Blues’ drop in interest could hamper the deal on all fronts.
As per L’Equipe, talks are still ongoing between the Gunners and the Blues, and there is still hope that Giroud will make his way to west London in order to allow Michy Batshuayi to join Dortmund on a temporary, which therein frees up Aubameyang for Arsenal.
The departure of Giroud would not doubt be heart-breaking for a section of the Gunners’ faithful, but the club face the prospect of losing out on Aubameyang altogether, if they are to stick with their loyalty for Giroud.
The Frenchman has had good success for Arsenal off the bench, and it will be interesting to see how this saga paves way with Giroud’s wife wanting to stay put in the English capital regardless of a fresh challenge.
Giroud has notched 105 goals for Arsenal in over 250 appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Montpellier in 2012. He has won three FA Cup titles in this period, which include the match-winning assists in the 2014 and 2017 finals.
