The Gunners are facing the prospect of losing talismanic forward Alexis Sanchez this month with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea circling.
And they’re under pressure to replace the Chilean with a big-money signing as they bid to keep their challenges going on three fronts.
Aubameyang has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates in the past and it appears Arsenal have settled on the striker as Sanchez’s replacement.
The Evening Standard report Arsene Wenger is planning a bid of £35m for Aubameyang, with Giroud to be thrown in to sweeten the potential deal.
New head of recruitment Sven Mislintat is said to have allayed any doubts the Arsenal boss may have over the Gabon international’s discipline.
And that means Wenger will soon test the waters by making an opening offer of £35m plus Giroud for a player valued by Dortmund at just over £53m.
Aubameyang’s future was thrown into question over the weekend when he was left out of Dortmund’s squad for their Bundesliga showdown with Wolfsburg.
And chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has revealed the 28-year-old will meet with sporting director Michael Zorc and head coach Peter Stoger today to discuss plans going forwards.
“Auba has to talk to the coach and tell him whether he is ready to give everything for Borussia Dortmund,” said Watzke.
“Peter Stoger and Michael Zorc will discuss it with him.”
Stoger is confident Aubameyang, who’s twice asked to leave Dortmund in the past, will stay at Signal Iduna Park this month.
“Let’s see how it develops in the next days,” he said.
“For me it is just logical [that Aubameyang stays].
“He is a player of BVB, he trains and he is in our plans for the upcoming match.”
Should today’s talks prove positive from an Arsenal perspective, the prospect of signing Giroud may tempt Dortmund into letting Aubameyang go.
The Bundesliga outfit will need a replacement for the former AC Milan man and were tipped to swoop for Giroud if he left last summer.
Arsenal have not yet spoken to Dortmund over a deal because German giants would have had to disclose it due to their listing on the stock market.
Sanchez’s seemingly impending exit means Arsenal will soon have to engage with them though.
United are now the favourites to get Sanchez on-board after Manchester City withdrew from the transfer battle.
Chelsea could yet make a last-minute swoop to snatch him from their old manager Jose Mourinho’s nose.
