Report: Arsenal nearing £60M deal for Aubameyang

Arsenal is close to agreeing to a deal worth around £60 million to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund, according to BBC Sport's David Ornstein.

However, Ornstein said the transfer is contingent on the German side securing a replacement in the final three days of the January window.

Dortmund reportedly turned down an improved £43-million bid for the Gabonese international on Wednesday, with sporting director Michael Zorc telling the Gunners to pay up or find another target.

Related - Dortmund director: Aubameyang won't be sold unless all demands met

The BBC's Simon Stone relayed last week that Dortmund would only consider selling Aubameyang if it received an offer "in excess" of £50 million.

That now appears to be the case.

It's unclear if Olivier Giroud - limited to just one Premier League start thus far - would head the other way as a potential makeweight in the deal. His name emerged in negotiations between the two sides, but Sky Sports' Joe Shread indicated on Friday that Arsenal "immediately ruled out" the prospect of shipping the Frenchman to the Westfalenstadion.

Doubts were raised over Aubameyang's future after Dortmund suspended the 28-year-old for missing a team meeting at the start of January. It was the second time Aubameyang was dropped for "disciplinary reasons" this season.

Nonetheless, manager Peter Stoger reintegrated the controversial striker into the starting lineup for Saturday's match against Freiburg. Aubameyang was largely a passenger in the 2-2 draw, registering a meagre 19 touches throughout the contest.

Despite his troubles off the pitch, the former Saint-Etienne poacher has scored 21 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions.