Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has one year left on his current deal at Arsenal and the Gunners are in a real struggle to hold onto him beyond the summer.
Some of the biggest clubs in Europe want to sign him and as things stand, the Gabon international is not too keen to put pen on paper to a new deal at the Emirates. So either the Premier League side sell him off this summer or let him leave as a free agent in the next.
Some pundits have claimed if Arsenal can manage to get back into the Champions League next season then Auba could change his mind, a point which has also been endorsed by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
He told in the press conference: “I think that[Champions League football] will help to persuade anybody, but we are very lucky to have the club that we have right behind us.
“There are a lot of players who want to come and join us, but it’s not just about who do we want to attract, it’s about how happy the players are that are here and how convinced they are that they’re at the right place because it’s almost our obligation to be fighting for every trophy and playing in the Champions League with this club.
“We’ve had many discussions with Pierre, his family and agent, and I’m pretty positive that we can find the right agreement for all parties.
“We are trying, as a club, to finalise the deals that are more urgent and are a priority for us.
“The ones you are talking about [Bukayo and Auba] – they are both really important, not just for now but for the future of the club as well and if the club has something to announce, they will do it in the right moment.”
Can Champions League football help Arsenal hold onto Aubameyang?
Arsenal still have an outside chance of playing in the Champions League next campaign but the odds are heavily stacked against them at this point in time.
Without UCL football, there’s no way the Gunners will be able to convince Aubameyang to remain at the Emirates beyond the summer. But even with top-level European football, there are other factors which Arteta will have to consider.
The forward is looking for a big pay-rise in his new contract and if Arsenal deny him that luxury, there’s a chance Aubmeyang could head out to greener pastures in the summer, with or without considering playing in the Champions League.
