Arsenal 'far from being close' to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer as Arsene Wenger reveals latest update

Arsenal are “far from being close” to signing Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or any other player after completing the swap deal to bring Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the Emirates Stadium, but Arsene Wenger refused to rule out landing the Gabon international before the January window closes at the end of the month.

The Premier League club have sent chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, chief scout Sven Mislintat and contract negotiator Huss Fahmy to Dortmund to hold talks with the Bundesliga side over a possible transfer for the unsettled Aubameyang, although negotiations so far have been unsuccessful.

Dortmund officials are holding out for €70m before allowing Arsenal to speak with the player, who has grown increasingly unhappy at the Signal Iduna Park this season, but Arsenal are hoping to agree a deal closer to the €50m mark, leaving the German side unimpressed with the money being offered.

The Dortmund sporting director, Michael Zor, has also heavily criticised Wenger for talking about Aubameyang while he remains their player, claiming that his comments this month to the press have shown a “lack of respect”, although when Wenger was questioned directly about Aubameyang during Friday’s press conference, he did not mention the 28-year-old striker.

“I cannot tell you more,” Wenger said. “We have nothing to announce. At the moment we stay where we are.

“We keep our players, we have added (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan and we have lost Alexis Sanchez. Our squad is stable.

“Will anything else happen? At the moment, I would say I don’t know. It’s still possible but we are far from being close. I don’t give you any special names but we will still recruit somebody if it is possible. At the moment we are not close to signing anybody.”

It’s understood that Arsenal would be willing to offer striker Olivier Giroud as part of the negotiations to sign Aubameyang, although Wenger categorically denied that the France international has already been used in talks. But while he stressed his desire to keep the 31-year-old at the club – even though he is having to play second-fiddle to compatriot Alexandre Lacazette this season – he did not rule out a potential sale, given that Chelsea have been linked with a move for him in their scatter-gun search for a new forward.

“I want Olivier to stay. If nobody comes in, nobody goes out,” Wenger said. “Maybe one or two of the young players on loan somewhere but the experienced side of the squad will remain the same unless somebody comes in.

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“I am looking forward to every end of the transfer window. It’s not hard work. It’s disturbing. We are here to work, that is our job and we want to do well. We do not complain about the work. You want your energy in the team, in the dressing room to be focused on the next game. As long as the transfer window is open, that is not always the case. It’s more of a difficulty on the mental front than the working front.”