Arsenal are willing to let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave this summer but only if the interested parties are prepared to pay the correct fee for him, that’s according to The Sun.
Clubs like Chelsea, Man United and FC Barcelona have also been eager to get their hands on the 30-year-old centre-forward but it looks like the Gunners are not ready to bow down.
The report insists: “ARSENAL will keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the end of his contract if they can’t get a decent price for him this summer.
“Aubameyang is about to enter the final year of his £180,000-a-week Emirates contract and has so far resisted all the club’s efforts to extend his stay.
“But Arsenal will not be panicked into selling their star striker to the first bidder just to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing next year.
“And with manager Mikel Arteta still keen to keep his captain and top scorer, Arsenal believe Aubameyang will be more valuable leading their attack for another season than leaving for a knockdown price.”
Will Arsenal hold onto Aubameyang?
This means the Gunners will risk losing him for free next summer since Aubameyang has just one year left on his current deal. And this is truly a double-edged sword for the North London side.
There’s no denying Arsenal can put Aubameyang to good use next season but the club also need money to help Mikel Arteta in the rebuilding process. And the Gabon international happens to be one of the biggest assets for the club.
This is surely a massive dilemma for Arsenal but at the same time, clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona will be really pleased with this complexity.
Given that he is about to hit 31, Aubameyang will not want to waste one more season playing in the Europa League and so if Chelsea can manage to secure a Champions League spot next season, the centre-forward might be tempted to join the Stamford Bridge outfit in the summer.
The Arsenal hierarchy have really made a bold call regarding this whole issue but we have a bad feeling this might backfire if Aubameyang chooses to put in a transfer request.
Plus to make matters worse, clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona will never agree to pay £50 million for a player who can be had for free next year.
