Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gonzalo Higuain Rumours

Borussia Dortmund have reiterated that they have absolutely no intention of selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer despite continued links to Arsenal.

The Bundesliga outfit’s general manager, Michael Zorc, has made BVB’s stance abundantly clear. “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a player of Borussia Dortmund and we do not have any plan to sell him,” he said, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror. “That’s a fact.”

Here’s a look at the kind of attributes Aubameyang would potentially add to the point of the Gunners attack:

The thing that naturally stands out about the Gabon international is his blistering speed. Aubameyang stretches defences in behind, creating spaces for Dortmund’s creative players to operate in. To have that kind of outlet up front for Arsenal, with Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez afforded that half-second extra on the ball, is a tantalising prospect.

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As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, the 26-year-old has a cool head in front of goal to complement his physical attributes too:

Indeed, it’s easy to see why Dortmund are so keen on keeping Aubameyang at the club. With Jurgen Klopp leaving and rumours lingering about a plethora of the team’s key players, new manager Thomas Tuchel will be desperate to preserve a core of critical figures.

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As noted by Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft, Aubameyang is a key man now and it’s tough to see Tuchel letting him walk away from the Westfalenstadion:

For Arsenal’s visionary midfield men, a player like Aubameyang would be a tremendous foil and if Wenger is looking to add options at the point of the attack, a player with this kind of dynamism should be top of his shopping list. But for the time being, the Frenchman looks as though he’ll have to explore other options.

Higuain Worth £67 million, Say Napoli

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Napoli’s PR guru, Nicolas Lombardo, has insisted that reported Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain will not be sold for a penny less than his current release clause, which stands at a whopping £67 million.

Lombardo was speaking with Radio Kiss Kiss (h/t Rohan Banerjee of the MailOnline) and moved to banish any speculation about the apparent Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City target:

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Napoli are keen to make an official clarification based on some newspapers' claims in articles about the potential transfer of Higuain.

The club stresses that the Argentine has an existing contract clause of €94,736,000 (£67m). No bids below that figure will be accepted, those who want the player will have to match that valuation.

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Higuain is a completely different type of forward player to Aubameyang. The latter is raw, direct and versatile, while the Argentina international is the type who likes to drop deeper and link the play. However, when he does stumble upon opportunities in the penalty area, the former Real Madrid star is a lethal finisher.

As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, Higuain is a thoroughbred goalscorer:

But he’s not worth £67 million, and it’s a figure that Arsenal definitely won’t be willing to part with in order to land the 27-year-old. Indeed, if that kind of money is available, there are other areas of this squad that could do with bolstering.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell took a look at how the Gunners should approach this transfer window:

Petr Cech’s imminent capture will see Wenger finally address a longstanding concern with this Arsenal squad, per SkySports.com. But running the rule over the personnel, with Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck as the two main options up front, there isn’t a desperate need to spend big on a striker.

A holding midfielder should be the Frenchman’s next port of call. If he can get one sewn up soon, then Wenger should turn to adding some firepower to his front line. However, for the astronomical sums quoted, it’d be a big surprise to see Higuain donning Arsenal red next season.