Chelsea look to take advantage of Arsenal’s Aubameyang move

Chelsea are monitoring Olivier Giroud’s future at Arsenal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the verge of joining the Gunners, reports The Independent.

Antonio Conte’s side were locked in talks with Roma for former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko but are now pursuing other targets after negotiations failed to progress over the weekend.

The Gunners have agreed to pay a club-record £55m to sign Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea are now ready to test Arsenal’s resolve with a late bid for Giroud.

Conte is desperate to sign a target man before Wednesday’s transfer deadline and has identified Giroud and Leicester outcast Islam Slimani as targets having already been linked with the likes of Peter Crouch and Andy Carroll this month.

Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal is set to trigger a flurry of moves with Dortmund identifying Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi as the ideal replacement for the Gabon international.

Giroud has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates since the end of last season after dropping down the pecking order under Arsene Wenger, but it remains to be seen whether the Gunners will sanction a deal to their London rivals.

In the last three Premier League campaigns, Giroud has scored at least five more goals as a substitute than any other player (13).