Arsenal Transfer News: Borussia's Balk Will Lead Gunners to Sign Olivier Giroud

With elite striker Robin van Persie's future with Arsenal in doubt, the Gunners need to replenish their forward depth during the transfer window. It appears as though they will almost certainly do that now as German club Borussia Monchengladbach has ceased its pursuit of star French goal scorer Olivier Giroud.

According to Darren Lewis of Mirror Football, the Bundesliga power was prepared to offer Giroud $12 million to transfer, but ultimately decided against it due to the competition it faces to land him, particularly Arsenal.

This news is obviously very good for the Gunners, knowing that van Persie is unlikely to return. Arsenal brought in former FC Kolm star Lukas Podolski for that very reason, but he is capable of playing in the midfield, which will allow the Gunners to place Giroud up top should they complete the deal as expected.

Giroud developed into one of the French Ligue 1's most dynamic players as he netted 24 goals in 40 contests for Montpellier this past season.

At only 25 years of age, he has a lot of developing left to do as well, and that development should take place at Arsenal as he will have several talented players around him that will get him the ball in dangerous spots on the pitch.

There is clearly a huge talent gap between the French league and the EPL, but Giroud appears to be good enough to take that next step and excel against a higher level of competition.

Giroud will finally get his chance to play against the world's best players if he decides to sign with Arsenal, and all signs point to him being up to the task.

The best part about this potential deal is that it works for both sides. Obviously, Giroud is looking to get paid and play on a bigger stage, and he would accomplish both of those things in this situation.

As for Arsenal, it needs to flex its muscle on the transfer market to prove that it is committed to winning the Premier League, and this signing coupled with the Podolski acquisition, would say that loud and clear.

Arsenal finished third in the Premier League this past season, but there was a big gap between the Gunners and the top-flight squads of Manchester City and Manchester United. In order to compete with them, improvements have to be made, and while that won't be easy since van Persie may be on the way out, signing Giroud could make it happen.

It now appears as if Arsenal is the clear front-runner in the sweepstakes for Giroud, so it had better secure him before a better offer comes from out of nowhere.

It's difficult to say what Giroud's intentions have been throughout this process, but Borussia's lucrative offer might have been enough to snag him had the German side left the offer on the table.

Now that the market for Giroud has cooled, though, this is the Gunners' time to strike. Giroud is a potential star in the making, and Arsenal and its fans would be highly disappointed if he were to reach his potential elsewhere.

I'm fairly confident that the Gunners will do what it takes to reel in the Frenchman very soon, however.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter