Arsenal sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in club record transfer

Arsenal have signed striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund on a long-term contract for a club-record fee, the English Premier League club said on Wednesday.

File photo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Reuters)

Arsenal have bolstered their attacking line-up by signing striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund on a long-term contract for a club-record fee, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

British media reported that the deal was around 56 million pounds ($79.2 million), eclipsing the 46.5 million pounds paid to French side Olympique Lyonnais for forward Alexandre Lacazette last year.

Aubameyang scored 98 goals in 144 Bundesliga games for the German side and had a hand in 172 goals in 213 matches in all competitions for his former club.

The 28-year-old is Gabon`s all-time top goalscorer with 23 goals from 56 matches and was named the African Footballer of the Year in 2015.

"Apart from the unimpressive results of the last few weeks, we can remember that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang`s history with BVB has been a success story for more than four years," said Dortmund`s sporting director Michael Zorc.

The Bundesliga side agreed to the deal after appearing set to complete a loan move for Chelsea`s Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi.

Aubameyang links up with former Dortmund team mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan after the Armenia midfielder moved to the London club from Manchester United last week, with Chile forward Alexis Sanchez going the other way.

Aubameyang, who joined Dortmund from St-Etienne in 2013, helped the club win the German Cup last year.