Arsenal are reportedly ready to listen to offers for club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only a year after handing him a new contract.
According to a report from Football Insider, Premier League heavyweights Arsenal could be open to selling club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the upcoming summer transfer window and are willing to entertain offers for their star striker.
Aubameyang arrived at Arsenal from German giants Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 and has been their best player for the majority of his time at the Emirates. Till date, the 31-year-old has accumulated an impressive tally of 84 goals and 16 assists from 140 games for the North London giants.
Aubameyang enjoyed a stellar 2019/20 campaign, as he plundered 29 goals in all competitions, including two each in the FA Cup semi-finals and finals to lead Arsenal to their first trophy under Mikel Arteta. On the back of that, Arsenal handed him a bumper new contract worth in excess of £300,000-a-week to secure his future at the club.
However, Aubameyang has seen his form tail off since signing the contract and has failed to hit the heights of last season in the current term. Even though he is Arsenal’s top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions, the 31-year-old has gone without a goal in 18 league games this term, with his nine strikes coming in six matches.
Recently, Aubameyang was left out of the Arsenal starting lineup against Tottenham by Arteta for disciplinary reasons. And, as per the report, there is a general feeling within the club that the Gabonese international has already peaked. With the striker set to turn 32 in June, Arsenal are now considering the prospect of moving on from their captain.
The Gunners are once again in a tight spot when it comes to the transfer funds available for Arteta in the summer. More so, considering that they look set to miss out on European football altogether next term. And, in order to boost the finances, the club is pondering over the possibility of letting some players leave.
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Aubameyang is one among those, as despite his age and below-par season, he remains a saleable asset. In addition, getting rid of his massive salary would free up some much-needed room on the wage-bill for any new arrivals, such as Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic, who has been linked with a move to the Emirates or even Andre Silva of Eintracht Frankfurt.
It will be interesting to see whether Arsenal go ahead with such a move given as there is uncertainty surrounding the future of Aubameyang’s strike partner, Alexandre Lacazette as well. If the Gunners put up their captain for sale, there shouldn’t be any shortage of suitors despite his age. An intriguing summer awaits Arteta, Aubameyang and Arsenal.
