Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal is ready to keep unsettled striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang until the end of his contract instead of selling him for a knockdown price, according to reports from the North London club. 31-year-old Aubameyang was willing to leave to Barcelona as his contract with Arsenal was already close to expiration.
His current worth at Arsenal is around £200,000-a-week, and the contract expires at the end of next season and there have been no talks on extending his stay. But according to reports from Arsenal they are not willing to sell the Gabonese striker just to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing next year.
Head of football Raul Sanllehi declared that no player will be allowed to run down his contract after Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck all left the club as free agents. But that policy could be relaxed this summer in the face of a depressed transfer market due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has taken a ‘hands-on approach’ to convince Aubameyang that his long-term future lies at Arsenal. Arteta believes Aubameyang can continue to be a star in his team beyond the summer of 2021 and wants to sit down with him to discuss a new deal.
Although Aubameyang was very willing to move to Barcelona with the Spanish giants showing great interest in the player in January, they were unable to meet the Gunners’ £50million price for the player. Also, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Inter Milan have all been keeping tabs on his situation, but Arsenal all this will be till further notice as the player has extended his contract with Arsenal.