Arsenal have ceased talks with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over a new contract, amid interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and others.
According to an exclusive report by Daily Express, Arsenal have withdrawn from talks with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over a brand new deal. The 30-year-old striker is being tailed by Chelsea and Manchester United, among a whole host of suitors for a move in the summer transfer window.
Aubameyang has only continued the upward trajectory in his career since joining Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. Constantly among the top scorers in the Premier League, he won the Golden Boot in his first full season with Arsenal and was in the running to do a repeat before the coronavirus pandemic halted footballing action.
The 30-year-old’s overall Arsenal record reads an impressive 61 goals and 13 assists in 97 outings. However, with just over 12 months left on his current deal with the Gunners, concerns over his future have been mounting. Aubameyang’s contract situation has piqued the interest of several clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United.
At Chelsea, Tammy Abraham has enjoyed a fine season. However, in his absence, Michy Batshuayi has failed to make any sort of impression. Olivier Giroud fared much better than Batshuayi, but the former Arsenal striker is likely to leave Chelsea this summer in search of regular game time. To that end, Aubameyang seems to have been identified as the player to beef up the Blues’ attack.
Manchester United, on the other hand, seem to be on the right track with Marcus Rashford starting to blossom into a fine attacker, while Anthony Martial has enjoyed a strong campaign. Odion Ighalo has been a superb addition and makes for a quality backup option and Mason Greenwood is seen as one for the future.
If Ighalo is signed on a permanent deal, Manchester United would not be in need of an attacking reinforcement, considering Jadon Sancho is the priority. However, if Ighalo returns to China after the end of his loan spell, Arsenal captain Aubameyang would be a viable target to not just bolster attack, but ensure Manchester United boast perhaps, the most fearsome attacking unit in England.
Aubameyang has insited that he is content at Arsenal, but the report suggests that talks over a new contract have come to a grinding halt, thereby providing Chelsea and Manchester United a boost in pursuit of the 30-year-old. In fact, Daily Express have claimed that after pulling the plug on talks, Arsenal are ready to sell their captain, which ought to interest Chelsea, United and others.
The report, however, suggests that Inter Milan are leading the race to sign Aubameyang. Chelsea and Manchester United are indeed likely to face an uphill task in their quest to land the Gabonese star, considering Arsenal will ideally prefer selling to a foreign club. Is a multi-club transfer battle in the brewing?
