Chelsea have reached a deal in principle to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud in a deal worth an initial £15m, reports Gianluca Di Marzio.

Antonio Conte’s side have switched their attentions to signing Giroud in the last 24 hours after pulling the plug on a deal to sign Roma striker Edin Dzeko.

However, Arsenal will only sanction the deal if they sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund, who in turn will only let the Gabon international move to the Emirates if they can get a replacement in first.

There were talks of Arsenal using Giroud as a possible makeweight in a deal for Aubameyang, but the France international is now Stamford Bridge bound, with Dortmund lining up a loan move for current Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi.

Giroud has dropped down the pecking order at Arsenal in the last two seasons and fears a lack of regular playing time could cost him a starting spot for France at the 2018 World Cup.

In the last three Premier League campaigns, Giroud has scored at least five more goals as a substitute than any other player (13). 

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