Arsenal Transfer News: Olivier Giroud, Gonzalo Higuain Rumours Denied by Agent

Olivier Giroud's agent has rejected speculation linking the Arsenal striker with Napoli in a potential swap deal with Gonzalo Higuain.

Per Simone Lorini of TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t ESPN FC), Michael Manuello said:

"

Everything I've read on the [sic] Giroud is not true. I personally have only said that if Arsenal want to sell it, then we will see.

I do not know where [the Napoli story] came from. We never talked to Naples and there are no other persons appointed over me that can do this, we need to clarify this.

"

GianlucaDiMarzio.com (h/t Metro's Mark Brus) had reported the Gunners had attempted to use Giroud as a makeweight in their pursuit of Higuain.

Manuello has addressed the rumours once before, though the last time he did so, he was more positive about the idea of his client moving to the Partenopei, telling Radio CRC (h/t ESPN FC): "In Naples, my client could have a wonderful lifestyle, not to mention that Maurizio Sarri's style of footballer would get the best out of a striker like him."

The Frenchman finished the campaign with a strong total of 24 goals in all competitions.

WhoScored.com compared his league stats with those of Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi, whom ESPN noted is also linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium:

Giroud has shown himself to be a capable player, and his contributions undoubtedly warrant a place in Arsenal's squad.

However, his chance conversion is poor—just 15.8 per cent—which shows he isn't ruthless enough to be the Gunners' main goalscorer.

Indeed, he suffered a lengthy and disastrous goal drought last season, per Squawka Football:

While it would be unfair to place all the blame of Arsenal's simultaneous collapse on Giroud's shoulders, were he a more clinical striker, the team would likely have fared better.

The Frenchman is also rather slow, as noted by TalkSport's Georgie Bingham:

It's less of a problem at Arsenal because of their dominance of possession, but it still shows the Gunners need more firepower.

Higuain scored 38 goals last season and would undoubtedly offer an upgrade on Giroud so a swap deal could work out, though it seems unlikely.

Ideally, Arsenal will keep Giroud, though, and add firepower alongside him—he may not be able to fire them to the title on his own, but for all his faults, he's very useful to have in the squad.