Arsenal could be about to make some huge announcements in the next couple of days, after lots of progress was made on the transfer front.
Theo Walcott officially joined Everton on Wednesday and now Arsenal are accelerating their plans to sign Aubameyang, with attacking options looking extremely short ahead of the weekends game against Crystal Palace, with Olivier Giroud still injured and Alexis Sanchez likely to be out of the door before the weekend and even if he isn’t, he won’t be in the squad.
Arsenal have an agreement in place with Aubameyang, 28, over his wages (thought to be in the region of £200,000 per week). The Gunners have not yet agreed a fee with Dortmund, but an agreement is thought to be very close. Olivier Giroud could move to Dortmund, but that would be a seperate deal, and could even be a 6-month loan deal to aid Giroud’s World Cup chances.
The other major arrival Arsenal are closing in on is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian midfielder is likely to join the club as part of a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez, who has just 4 months left on his Arsenal contract. Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan had a great connection on the pitch in Dortmund, so it’ll be interesting to see if the duo reuniting can see their best form return.
Whilst the media coverage has been on Arsenal’s search for forwards, the club remain interested in Jonny Evans and other defensive targets. Should someone arrive in that department it is possible Shkodran Mustafi leaves, or Rob Holding or Calum Chambers go out on loan for the rest of the season.