Arsenal were rebuffed in their latest attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, reports the BBC.
The Gunners lodged a £43.5m bid but the Bundesliga outfit immediately rejected the bid as it fell well short of their €60m valuation at today’s exchange rates.
Speculation last week claimed that Dortmund were only interested in selling their troublesome 28-year-old striker if the France international Olivier Giroud, 30, was included in the deal. It’s understood that Arsenal’s second offer was a cash-only deal.
With a high-level delegation remaining in the city for further talks, Arsenal are not yet turning their attention to other targets as they continue their search for Alexis Sanchez’s replacement. Included in the club’s official group are CEO Ivan Gazidis, legal expert Huss Fahmy as well as former Dortmund employee and now head of recruitment at the Emirates, Sven Mislintat.
Aubameyang is turning into a problem-child for new Dortmund coach Peter Stoger. Dropped for disciplinary breaches already, he was omitted for the trip to Hertha Berlin last weekend as Stoger claimed the prospect of leaving the Westfalenstadion was unsettling the Gabon international.
Arsenal hope to complete a deal before the weekend to give Aubameyang the chance to link-up with the first team squad ahead of the trip to Premier League strugglers Swansea City. After this evening’s 2 – 1 win over Chelsea, one of Aubameyang’s first games for the club could be at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
