Chelsea agree £18m deal with Arsenal for Olivier Giroud

Chelsea’s frantic last-ditch search for a new target-man to compete with the injured Alvaro Morata appears to be over, as it’s emerged that Arsenal – subject to a report published by Goal – have agreed to sell Olivier Giroud to the Premier League champions for fee which is said to be in the £18m bracket.

The Blues were initially eyeing a move for AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko, although after their attempts to land the Bosnian attacker were rebuffed by the Giallorossi, their attention was promptly swayed towards Tottenham Hotspur’s Fernando Llorente and Giroud of the Gunners, and it appears as though they’ve finally succeeded in their recruitment mission.

Giroud was included in the north-Londoners’ match-day XI ahead of Tuesday night’s encounter against Swansea City, although with the January transfer window nearing its close on Wednesday evening, the Frenchman will allegedly play no part in the fixture at the Liberty Stadium, as his sensational move to Stamford Bridge will take priority.

Arsenal on the other hand already have a ready-made replacement for the 31-year-old on the cards, it seems, in Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is set to join Arsene Wenger’s fold in a deal which is thought to be worth £55.4m.

Dortmund could also further benefit from Aubameyang’s imminent move to Arsenal, as on top of the figure they’ll receive from the the Carabao Cup finalists, the prospect of landing Michy Batshuayi on loan from the south-west Londoners to fill the Gabon international’s void could become a reality, after monitoring the Belgian’s potential availability.

Batshuayi has failed to make a mark on Antonio Conte’s attacking regiment, and with the Italian boss keen to provide the 24-year-old with a fresh start on a temporary basis, a mid-season leap to the Signal Iduna Park could rejuvenate his stalling career, a move which would complete an astounding interlinking transfer triangle between the three relevant clubs.