As quoted by the Metro, agent Vincenzo Morabito has made big claims that Arsenal had placed a record breaking bid for Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the summer.

Arsenal were clearly in the market to sign a new striker this summer and a host of names were bandied about in the media as potential targets for the Gunners.

Carlos Bacca, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were just some of the world class players touted to join Arsenal during the summer but despite all the speculation, none of the aforementioned players arrived at the Emirates Stadium.

As it turned out, Arsenal went on to only sign Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna and although a high profile name did not join the club, Alexis Sanchez’s transition into a striker this season has meant that the Premier League side look potent in attack.

That said though, it has now emerged that manager Arsene Wenger did try to bring in a marquee striker over the summer in the form of Aubameyang.

According to Italian agent Vincenzo Morabito, Arsenal had indeed attempted to lure Aubameyang to the Emirates Stadium and had placed a whopping £80 million offer in a bid to sign the Gabonese superstar.

Arsenal wanted Aubameyang

Morabito was quoted saying by the Metro, "Sometime ago, I called [Michael] Zorc, Dortmund’s director of football, to talk about Aubameyang, but the ‘no’ was absolutely categorical. I know that this summer, Arsenal offered €90 million [£80m] for Aubameyang, but Borussia didn’t want to hear anything about it.”

The credibility behind Arsenal’s alleged bid for Aubameyang remains in doubt but fans would surely have been pleased to hear that the club were ready to splash so much cash for a single player and this may just be an omen that the hierarchy at the North London giants are now no longer hesitant to shell out the big bucks if needed.