Paper Round: The Aubameyang, Batshuayi, Giroud merry-go-round… involving Luiz?

With deadline day just around the corner, clubs are in a hurry to get deals done asap and today, Paper Round will take a look at the latest gossip on the back pages, which all surrounds Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s potential move to Arsenal.

Aubameyang move hinges on Batshuayi 
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s projected £55.4m move to Arsenal will only go through if Borussia Dortmund can bring in Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi as a replacement, the Daily Express reports. Aubameyang is set to become Arsenal’s highest paid player of all time with a reported £180,000-a-week contract on the table, though the move will only go through if a loan deal materialises for Batshuayi, who could fall more out of favour at Chelsea if their pursuit of Olivier Giroud is successful. 

Our view: This deal will make a lot of sense to all parties involved if it eventually goes through. Arsenal gets a top striker, Dortmund gets a replacement in Batshuayi while Chelsea get Giroud. This is what I call the Bermuda triangle or the merry-go-round. 

Giroud to Chelsea for £15m… 
The Daily Mirror say that Giroud could cost Chelsea as little as £15m. The Blues’ yearning for a target-man has been well documented this January, having also been linked with Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch and Edin Dzeko, but it appears the reigning Premier League champions are zeroing in on the French forward from round the corner (ish). 

Our View: If Chelsea can be able to complete the transfer of Giroud from Arsenals, it could be a real coup for them because in my opinion, the French striker is far ahead of the likes of  Crouch, Carroll, and Dzeko. 

…Arsenal want closer to £30m 
The Daily Mail are calling it a ‘mad scramble’, and rightly so, it would seem. The paper suggests Arsenal will only sell Giroud to Chelsea for a premium price, and their current offer of £15m plus add-ons remains short of what the club are asking for. They also highlight, as many papers have, how Chelsea’s move for Dzeko has fallen through due to their reluctance to pay big money for the 32-year-old Roma forward. 

Our view: If Arsenal wants to keep Giroud at the Emirate, then it is normal to demand such a heavy price for the striker... But it's not just about keeping him, it's about him getting more playing time on the pitch and as it looks, once Aubameyang arives at the Emirate in the coming days, Giroud will be pushed down the pecking order so a move to Chelsea will appeal to the player more. But Arsenal will try to play hard, then Chelsea should stump up the cash and get their man. 

Could Luiz hold the key? 
David Luiz was linked with Arsenal at the beginning of the transfer window (feels like a while ago, doesn’t it?), and now the Daily Star says the Brazilian could be used as part of a swap deal for Giroud. Luiz has played just 32 minutes of league football for Chelsea in the past three months, having seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte. 

Our view: If these to sides can agree something regarding these tow great players, it will be a plus plus on both ends. The move could make a whole lots of sense as Arsenal finally gets a proven defensive player and Chelsea gets a much needed backup striker. 

Eurosport/Olomoinfo Blog