Everton have been boosted in their attempts to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud after Borussia Dortmund ruled out the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Ronald Koeman has spent nearly £100m on new players this summer but the Everton boss is not finished yet and still wants to add Swansea star Gylfi Sigurdsson and Arsenal striker Giroud to his squad before the start of next season.
The Toffees have been heavily linked with a move for Giroud since Arsenal decided to make Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette the most expensive player in the club’s history, although they were expecting to face stiff competition from Dortmund.
The Bundesliga outfit had earmarked Giroud as their first choice option to replace Aubameyang after the Gabon international was widely expected to join AC Milan or Chelsea.
However, neither side managed to conclude a deal before a deadline set by Dortmund and now Peter Bosz’s side have ruled out his departure this summer, which means they are no longer in the race to sign Giroud.
Giroud made 29 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League last season but only 11 of those came as a starter as Wenger instead preferred Alexis Sanchez in attack.
Despite being forced to watch most of the season from the bench, the France international still managed to score 12 league goals in that time. However, Giroud has netted at least three more goals (9) as a substitute than any other player in the last two Premier League campaigns, which perhaps sums up his frustrations of late.
For more stats on Olivier Giroud, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
