The Montpellier president, Louis Nicollin, has claimed that Arsenal have completed the signing of France forward Olivier Giroud. Speaking to French newspaper Midi Libre, Nicollin said the transfer had been completed after Arsenal met the player's release clause. Nicollin said: "I wish him well."

Giroud, part of Laurent Blanc's Euro 2012 squad which was knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals on Saturday, is thought to command a transfer fee in the region of £13m.

The 25-year-old scored 25 goals for his club last season and helped Montpellier win the Ligue 1 title, igniting the interest of several top clubs. Last week, the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, revealed a deal was "90%" complete as he looked to add the promising Frenchman to his squad, which has already been bolstered by the arrival of Germany's Lukas Podolski.

Arsenal have not yet made any official comment but it is understood that an announcement by the club is imminent. Once the transfer for Giroud is formally complete, Arsenal could then look to offload some of their fringe players, including Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela and Denílson.

However, Nicollin maintained a move to take Chamakh in the opposite direction back to France was not part of the Giroud deal. Wenger, who is at the European Championship working as a media pundit, is convinced Giroud can be a big hit at Arsenal.

"I think he has exceptional potential and will integrate very well in our collective and our way of playing," he said last week. "He is a real team player and knows how to combine with other players and I'm sure he will do well with us."