Arsenal's pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hits a roadblock as Dortmund reject second offer

Arsenal's pursuit of Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit yet another roadblock after the Bundesliga outfit rejected their second offer.

The Gunners are keen to bring the 28-year-old to the Emirates Stadium as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who joined Manchester United earlier this week. Aubameyang will become Arsenal's third arrival this month following the signings of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Arsenal are said to be confident about landing Aubameyang but will have to meet Dortmund's demands to ensure the move goes through before the end of the January transfer window on 31 January. Arsenal's first offer of £44m ($62.8m) was rejected by the Bundesliga outfit and recent reports suggested that the north London club had submitted a second offer of around £50.9m.

However, according to Sky Sports, the Gunners' second offer said to be over the £50m mark has also been rejected by Dortmund. Arsenal are keen to get the deal over the line and have even offered to include Olivier Giroud as part of the package to bring Aubameyang to the Emirates in January.

Arsene Wenger confirmed that talks were ongoing between the two clubs but refused to give an update in terms of the progress in terms of completing the transfer. The Gunners have sent their CEO Ivan Gazidis, head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and contract negotiator Huss Fahmy to conclude the deal, but it remains to be seen if they can get it over the line before the 31 January deadline.

The Gabon international striker is said to have already agreed to terms – three and a half year deal worth around £170,000-a-week - with the Premier League club but a disagreement over the fee could derail the deal. Dortmund want to sign a replacement before sanctioning the move with Giroud one of their top targets.

Arsenal are said to be open to sanction a move for the Frenchman – on loan for six months with an option to buy – but the German club are said to want the striker in a separate deal which will ensure Arsenal meet their valuation for Aubameyang.

Wenger remained coy again when asked about an update on the transfer following Arsenal's 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday (24 January) which saw them progress to the finals of the Carabao Cup. The French coach made it clear that he is happy with his squad even if the Gabonese forward does not arrive before the end of the transfer window.