Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 'will cost Arsenal over £50m'
Last updated on .From the section Arsenal
Arsenal will need to pay well in excess of £50m to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, sources close to the German club say.
On Friday, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc called Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger "disrespectful" for talking publicly about the player.
Wenger has said the Gabon international would "fit in" at Arsenal.
But the clubs are now in talks over a deal would breach Arsenal's record £46.5m move for Alexandre Lacazette.
Aubameyang has twice been left out of the Dortmund side for disciplinary reasons this season and did not return to the squad as anticipated for Friday's 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin.
Instead, he was pictured playing five-a-side wearing a Dortmund shirt with Ousmane Dembele's name on the back.
After months of testing negotiations, Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke sold forward Dembele to Barcelona for £135.5m in the summer.
Aubameyang's move would follow Henrikh Mkhitaryan's expected arrival at the club from Manchester United in a swap deal involving Alexis Sanchez.
According to BBC Sport's David Ornstein, Arsenal are confident of striking a deal over the next week, which will involve negotiations over the fee and possibly a player exchange.
If the Aubameyang deal goes through Arsenal are unlikely to make any more significant singings, having been in contention to sign West Brom defender Jonny Evans.
