Arsenal have opened formal talks with Borussia Dortmund over the sale of Olivier Giroud, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Bundesliga side view the French forward as a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is being targeted for a £65million move by Chelsea.
The Blues’ approach means that Dortmund have decided to push on to try and capture Giroud’s signing, who is said to be valued at £35million by the Gunners.
The news will come as a blow to Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Everton, who had shown strong interest in the 30-year-old this summer.
However fellow top flight side West Ham have ended their pursuit of the French international after being informed that they were not his first choice club to join.
Instead, Dortmund is said to be his preferred destination, which would see him leave Arsenal after five years in North London.
He joined from French side Montpellier in a deal worth in the region of £9.6million, and has gone on to make 227 appearances for the club, scoring 98 goals across all competitions.
Last season saw him utilised primarily as an impact substitute, as he managed just 17 starts in his 40 appearances in both league and cup competitions.
However, despite his lack of time in the starting XI, he still managed to hit home 16 goals and provide 7 assists for his team mates, his final impact setting up Aaron Ramsey to score the winning goal in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea.