Barcelona close to agreeing loan deal for Arsenal forward Aubameyang
By David Ornstein
January 30, 2022Updated 10:09 PM GMT+8
Barcelona are close to reaching an agreement with Arsenal to sign striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on loan for the rest of the season.
Progress has been made in talks between all three parties and although the deal is not yet done, it has advanced significantly over the weekend.
The main issue left to resolve is the payment of Aubameyang’s roughly £350,000-a-week salary and who covers what proportion of that income.
It is believed that Arsenal would not receive a loan fee but want Barcelona to cover as much of his wages as possible, which would be a huge saving but may be complicated by their financial state. No option or obligation to buy is expected to be included in the proposed move.
If a consensus can be found, the transfer should go through ahead of the January window closing on Monday and settle the uncertainty surrounding the 32-year-old’s future until the summer at least.
Barcelona head coach Xavi is understood to have identified Aubameyang as his primary target to strengthen at the top of the pitch this month and he plans for the ex-Borussia Dortmund forward to slot into the team in the No 9 position.
Joining the five-time European champions would temporarily resolve the problems that have arisen between Arsenal and Aubameyang since he was stripped of the captaincy and made to train alone after returning late from a sanctioned trip to France in December to collect his unwell mother.
The Athletic revealed on Friday that Barcelona and Juventus had made official approaches to the Premier League side for the Gabon international.
Their admiration for Aubameyang is long standing and undiminished, despite his alarming fall from grace in north London. Those sides are said to harbour no concerns about his professionalism, having both conducted background checks.
While Barcelona had space for a new striker, Juventus doing business was dependent on Alvaro Morata leaving and it appears he will stay in Turin to complete a front three with Paulo Dybala and the recently-arrived Dusan Vlahovic.
That gave the La Liga giants a clear run as despite interest from Saudi Arabia, which Arsenal would have preferred, Aubameyang’s preference was to keep operating at the highest level in Europe.
The situation is being handled from Arsenal’s perspective by technical director Edu but any decision will be taken in conjunction with manager Mikel Arteta, the executive leadership and board.
Although it initially appeared that Aubameyang’s exit might be contingent on Arsenal sourcing a replacement, that is not necessarily the case and they are proceeding with this process regardless of the fact that — as things stand — nobody is close to being acquired before the deadline.
A sighting of Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak in the English capital on Saturday fuelled speculation that the Swede, who is a long-term target, might be switching to the Emirates Stadium. But there are currently no developments in that regard.
Meanwhile, reports that Barcelona could not land Aubameyang unless they shifted Ousmane Dembele are thought to be wide of the mark.
Barcelona have already taken steps in the market to strengthen their attack, with Ferran Torres and Adama Traore brought in from Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively.
Aubameyang swapped Dortmund for Arsenal in January 2018 and put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension in September 2020, which means he is still tied down for another 18 months.
He has scored seven goals in 15 games across all competitions this campaign and 92 in 163 Arsenal appearances overall. The player was left out of the group that is in Dubai at present on a warm-weather camp during the Premier League break.
https://theathletic.com/news/barcelona-close-to-agreeing-loan-deal-for-arsenal-forward-aubameyang/0LVuF5AEDvgl/[ 此帖被羅力亞在2022-02-03 09:53重新編輯 ]
