Arsenal close in on Giroud

Montpellier have confirmed that the sale
of Olivier Giroud to Arsenal is
progressing.
Club vice-president Laurent Nicollin said
talks with the Gunners over the France
international striker were ‘going serenely’
as both clubs look to reach an agreement
over a final transfer fee.
The London side reached an agreement
with the French champions, with a fee of
12.8 million pounds having been settled
on after negotiations between the two
clubs.
Now, Montpellier’s vice-president said he
expects the transfer to be completed at the end
of France’s participation in Euro 2012.
In an interview with local French newspaper
Midi Libre, Laurent Nicollin said: “Discussions
are happening in a cordial fashion.
“Things are moving serenely.”
Arsenal’s bid to sign Giroud was approved by
the French club last week, after he made it clear
he would welcome a move to the English Premier
League.
The Frenchman scored 21 goals in Montpellier’s
league victory, and was the joint top scorer in
Ligue 1 with PSG’s Nene.
He looks set to join Lukas Podolski in a new-look
Arsenal forward line next season, but his
transfer will prompt further speculation about
the future of Robin van Persie, who has one year
left on his contract and has refused to enter
talks about a new deal.