Aubameyang joins Arsenal from Dortmund for club-record fee
Arsenal has found its replacement for Alexis Sanchez with the arrival of forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee.
After weeks of speculation, the 28-year-old completed the switch by putting pen to paper on a long-term contract that will reportedly keep him in north London until 2021, according to The Telegraph.
❤️ @Aubameyang7 #YoPierre pic.twitter.com/UpbAhnIvDG
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 31, 2018
Aubameyang will reportedly be paid £180,000 per week, making him one of Arsenal's highest earners.
Neither club disclosed terms of the agreement but it's believed Arsenal completed the transfer by spending a club-record £55.4-million (€63-million) fee - roughly £10 million more than the Premier League side spent to acquire the services of forward Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon last summer.
Related - Wenger's latest worry: How to play Aubameyang, Lacazette together
The lucrative transfer comes less than two weeks after Arsenal completed a swap deal that saw Sanchez join Manchester United while Aubameyang's former teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan made the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
#YoPierre 😉 pic.twitter.com/VKlUZdOqv1
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 31, 2018
During his four-and-a-half-year stay at Dortmund, Aubameyang evolved into one of the world's most highly rated strikers, scoring 172 goals (98 Bundesliga goals) in 213 matches in all competitions.
⚽️ Merci, Auba! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/BBT3brVXMU
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) January 31, 2018
Signing Aubameyang was reportedly contingent on Dortmund finding a replacement, with reports suggesting forward Olivier Giroud could be involved in a swap deal. However, it appears the French striker is close to joining Chelsea, while Blues outcast Michy Batshuayi is nearing a loan move to the German side.
HEADLINES
- Report: Mets interested in Luis Robert; White Sox like Blade Tidwell
- Capture the Flagg: Where No. 1 pick might land, and how he could fit
- Golden Knights in awe of Smith's winner: 'One of the craziest things I've ever seen'
- Ant goes off for 36 to lift T-Wolves past Warriors in Game 3
- Padres make history with 21-0 shutout of Rockies