Marseille have reportedly made Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud their top target this summer, and they’re willing to spend £20m on the Frenchman.
Having showcased their spending power under new owner Franck McCourt in the January transfer window with the signing of Dimitri Payet, it’s claimed by France Football that the Ligue 1 outfit will have €200m to spend this summer and plan on raiding the Premier League.
Giroud and Crystal Palace duo Steve Mandanda and Yohan Cabaye form their transfer shortlist, but it remains to be seen how successful they are in their triple swoop.
With regards to the Arsenal forward, Giroud was signed from Montpellier in 2012 and has gone on to score 95 goals in 156 starts for the Gunners, while he topped the club’s scoring charts last season with 24.
He is under contract at the Emirates until 2020, but Sky Sports add that Marseille are willing to spend up to £20m on the 30-year-old and make him their lynchpin up front.
While he has certainly made an important contribution since his arrival in north London, there have always been question marks over whether or not he’s the type of striker to lead Arsenal to a Premier League title and other major honours.
Giroud remains an important part of the squad as he offers something different to the other forwards in the squad, but if a £20m bid were to come in for him, Arsene Wenger would surely have to consider it.
It seems more and more likely that the veteran tactician is going to stay at Arsenal beyond this season, and if he does, he needs revamp this squad to turn them into a genuine title contender and having £20m to add to the transfer war chest could be a real boost.