Arsenal will try to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, if Chelsea target Alexis Sanchez leaves the club in the summer.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the Gunners will once again try to acquire the Gabon international in the summer transfer window should Alexis Sanchez depart at the end of the current campaign, and it would reportedly set them back a massive £70 million.
The Chilean, who has a little over a year left on his current contract, is amidst negotiations with Arsenal over an extension. Arsenal are reportedly willing to offer Sanchez £300,000-a-week and make him the Premier League’s highest paid player, if it gets him to stay put in London.
His current wages are estimated to be at around £110,000-a-week, around £10,000 lesser than Mesut Ozil, the club’s current highest earner. However, even astronomical figures such as those might not be enough to keep the former Barcelona winger at the club.
Arsenal are currently embroiled in a 4-way-battle for the the last two Champions League spots with Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are assured of automatic qualification which leaves third and fourth place up for grabs.
It would be difficult to keep hold of Sanchez if Arsenal do not qualify for the Champions League, as he will be well aware of other European giants who will be willing to offer him both high wages and the promise of competing for Europe’s biggest prize on a regular basis.
One possible destination for Sanchez is Chelsea, who if certain reports are to be believed, have made him their top summer target. Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are now back to their dominating self and are on the cusp of being crowned Premier League Champions for the second time in three years.
Incidentally, they also face Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup and should the Blues emerge victorious at Wembley, then it would perhaps only persuade Sanchez to make the switch to their arch rivals and Chelsea are one of the few clubs in Europe, who would be able to afford his wages.
Besides the Blues, both Manchester United and Manchester City are said to be interested in the forward. Spanish giants Atletico Madrid are also said to be interested. It was also reported recently that Bayern Munich have opened talks with Sanchez over a possible summer move.
If Arsenal do hold on to him for another year, but don’t get him to sign a contract extension, then he would be allowed to go to the club of his choosing for free in 2018. As things stand, the Gunners may be forced into selling Sanchez in the coming months, or they risk losing him for nothing.
He was purchased from Barcelona in the summer of 2014 for around £31.7 million and because of his current contract situation, he won’t be too expensive as Arsenal wouldn’t want to ward off any potential suitors. Aubameyang, however, will not come cheap.
The £70 million price tag aside, the Gunners will have little to no chance of landing the striker if they don’t qualify for the Champions League. Besides that, Arsene Wenger’s future at the club is unclear and it isn’t known whether he will stay or leave at the end of the season.
Arsenal have already been turned down once when they tried to sign Aubameyang last summer and with the current state of affairs of the clubs, things don’t look so promising this time around. Besides this, Aubameyang has made no secret of his desire to play for Real Madrid someday.
To make things even more difficult for Arsenal or basically any other suitor, Borussia Dortmund’s CEO Chief Executive Hans-Joachim Watze has said that they would only consider offers from Barcelona or Real Madrid as the other clubs don’t interest the striker.
He is reported to have told Sport1’s Doppelpass programme – “I think he will stay with us. But if Real Madrid or Barcelona come along with an offer, maybe he’ll think about it. The rest of the clubs who are interested in him are not really an alternative for him,” he said.
With 116 goals in 186 appearances for Dortmund, Aubameyang would be a dream signing for Arsenal and befitting replacement for Alexis Sanchez. But with issues to sort out with the contracts of Ozil and Sanchez and Wenger’s replacement, the club have far more pressing issues which require their immediate attention and Aubameyang’s signature may just have to remain a dream.
