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Chelsea in for Olivier Giroud as Michy Batshuayi nears exit after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Arsenal switch sparks transfer merry-go-round
Chelsea are hoping to clinch a shock move for Olivier Giroud and complete a transfer merry-go-round that will see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Arsenal and Michy Batshuayi move to Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal have had a club record £55.4 million (€63m) offer accepted by Dortmund for striker Aubameyang, but the deal looks set to force them to allow Giroud to join rivals Chelsea.
As revealed on Monday morning by Telegraph Sport, a week of negotiations were concluded after Arsenal upped their first offer of £44m to beyond £55m, but Dortmund still want to secure a replacement before the deal is formally announced.
On Monday, the German club agreed to take Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season with that switch only waiting on the Premier League champions getting a replacement.
Giroud had been among the options for Dortmund - and separate talks were held on Monday over both a loan or permanent deal - but Chelsea have seized on the chance to try to secure the Frenchman, knowing that Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal hinges on the Bundesliga club sourcing a replacement.
Chelsea decided to reconsider their options and move for Giroud after failing to reach a breakthrough in talks over signing Edin Dzeko during the weekend.
A potential deal faltered over the refusal of Chelsea to pay big transfer fees or contracts over 12 months to players aged 30 and over.
Chelsea will have to bend their own rules to sign 31-year-old Giroud on a permanent deal, if Arsenal are not willing to sanction a loan, but could be prepared to pay around £15m plus bonuses. Talks are ongoing between the two clubs.
Arsenal also have interest from Sevilla and West Ham United in Giroud and, after losing Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, would have preferred not to help another rival for Champions League football.
But Chelsea could put the entire Aubameyang transfer at risk by calling off Batshuayi’s move to Dortmund if their move for Giroud is rejected.
One alternative to Batshuayi for Dortmund is Tianjin Quanjian’s Anthony Modeste, whose agent, Patrick Mendy, on Monday described them as an “interesting” option for his striker.
Other than Dzeko and Giroud, Peter Crouch and Islam Slimani have been the subject of surprise inquiries this month from Chelsea, who were set to sign Andy Carroll until the West Ham United striker was ruled out with an ankle injury. Should they fail on Giroud, then Chelsea could still make a late swoop for Tottenham Hotspur’s Fernando Llorente.
Arsenal have offered Aubameyang a contract worth £180,000-a-week until 2021 and the 28-year-old is keen to link up with former Dortmund colleague Henrikh Mkhitaryan following his arrival earlier this month in exchange for Sanchez.
Having also sold Theo Walcott and Giroud now likely to leave, Arsene Wenger wanted only a player who would immediately improve his starting team and Aubameyang has established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in any European league. Arsenal sent a delegation headed by chief executive Ivan Gazidis that also included new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and contract negotiator Huss Fahmy to Dortmund for negotiations last week.
Mislintat was also instrumental in bringing both Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan to Dortmund and the signings will be interpreted as an immediate sign of his impact and influence. Arsenal have also been interested in defender Jonny Evans, but a deal is now more likely in the summer when his contract will have only one year remaining and West Brom will have to lower the current £20 million asking price. The Aubameyang and Evans deals are not both considered financially sensible this month.
Despite deciding against Dzeko, Chelsea have agreed to sign Roma left-back Emerson Palmieri for £24.6m, including bonuses, to provide competition and cover for Marcos Alonso. His medical will take place on Tuesday.