Barcelona reportedly face complication in the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deal as Ousmane Dembele is unwilling to join Arsenal.
According to the latest update from Fabrizio Romano, Ousmane Dembele has voiced his displeasure towards a move to Arsenal. The Barcelona winger has no intention of joining the London club as part of the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deal. It could compound the Blaugrana’s effort to sign the Gabonese international, who is already currently in Catalonia.
The potential departure of Dembele plays a key role in the club’s plan to sign Aubameyang this month. The Frenchman commands hefty wages that have played a part in obstructing Barcelona from registering new players. His current deal in Catalonia also expires at the end of the season, meaning a January sale is Barcelona’s last chance of generating revenue from the sale of a player that cost them around €135 million back in 2017.
The former Borussia Dortmund starlet has refused the club’s contract extension offer, holding out for an astronomical wage that has seemingly made him an untouchable figure in Europe. Nevertheless, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal are still in contention to sign the winger on deadline day.
While PSG were tagged as the early favourites, nothing much has materialised so far, prompting Barcelona to include Dembele in the deal to sign Aubameyang. However, as mentioned earlier, the explosive forward has no intention to join the north London giants, perhaps in fear of sporting instability.
Dembele’s rejection could mark an end to a very disappointing month for Arsenal, who have failed to sign a single player so far. Instead, they have ended up offloading a host of useful players, including Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari, Sead Kolasinac and most recently, Calum Chambers, who joined Aston Villa on a permanent deal.
The Gunners are also looking to offload Aubameyang, despite the club having no replacement in sight. Mikel Arteta is looking into the possibility of a late January swoop for Juventus forward Alvaro Morata, but the Spaniard is unlikely to leave Turin in January, despite the recent addition of Dusan Vlahovic.
As for Barcelona, their chances of snapping up Aubameyang on deadline day rely on the fate of Dembele. Their only hope is a move to PSG, as the winger does reportedly have a verbal agreement with Les Parisiens over a return to his homeland. But with time running out, both parties must move swiftly, as we approach the final hours of the winter transfer window.
