Arsenal make formal offer for Bundesliga striker

Arsenal have reportedly made an opening bid for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international has been widely tipped to join the Gunners this month as they prepare for the departure of Alexis Sanchez.

According to Kicker, the north London side have made an initial bid of around £44m for the 28-year-old marksman, but the Bundesliga outfit have knocked back their advances.

Dortmund are seemingly prepared to cut ties with Aubameyang owing to his disciplinarly issues, but they are said to want at least £53m in order to do business with the Gunners. Meanwhile, the Arsene Wenger's side are close to wrapping up the services of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who is due to join the club in a swap agreement which would coincide with the departure of Sanchez.

Arsenal ended their wait for a victory in 2018 as they secured a convincing 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Despite this, the Gunners are five points behind a potential top-four spot, but the gap could be further extended with Liverpool having a game in hand versus Swansea City tomorrow.