'Don't dream, he is not coming': Marseille boss Rudi Garcia rules out signing Olivier Giroud

Arsenal forward and mooted Everton target Olivier Giroud will not be joining Marseille this summer, according to manager Rudi Garcia. The France international, 30, has been heavily linked with a move away from The Emirates Stadium, with the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette seemingly pushing him further down the pecking order in north London.

A number of clubs have registered their interest in Giroud. West Ham United and Borussia Dortmund have both monitored the former Montpellier hitman in recent weeks, while Marseille were believed to be the frontrunners for the striker's signature earlier this month.

But when asked by supporters about the possibility of signing Giroud, Garcia was quoted as saying by Le Dauphine: "Don't dream guys, he will not come."

L'OM have already signed two forwards this summer: Valere Germain arrived from Ligue 1 champions Monaco while Clinton N'Jie's loan spell from Tottenham was made permanent. The aforementioned pair are currently the only centre-forward options available to Garcia at the moment, who may need another striker in order to compete both in Ligue 1 and the Europa League.

That prospective striker will almost certainly not be Arsenal's Giroud, who is top of Everton manager Ronald Koeman's wishlist as he searches for a replacement for Manchester United new boy Romelu Lukaku.

With the imminent arrival of Javier Hernandez at West Ham combined with Borussia Dortmund's stance over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the path is seemingly clear for Everton to swoop for Giroud, who is believed to be valued at around £20m by Arsenal.

Despite playing second fiddle to Alexis Sanchez for much of last season, Giroud still managed to score 16 goals in just 17 starts for Arsenal. The Frenchman was part of the Gunners' contingent that travelled to Australia for a pre-season tour but admitted in a recent interview that leaving The Emirates Stadium is an 'option', with the 2018 World Cup on the horizon.

Everton are looking for a targetman this summer and have also been linked with Roma's Edin Dzeko and Christian Benteke, who is 'very happy' at Crystal Palace. Their interest in Swansea City attacker Gylfi Sigurdsson remains strong, but Paul Clement's side are refusing to budge over their £50m valuation.