According to reports surfacing in Spain, Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ‘prepared’ to join FC Barcelona. Mundo Deportivo has reported that the Gabonese striker is eager to join the Catalan giants. However, the road from London to Catalonia won’t be very smooth for him. Arsenal will consider offers only after their newly installed captain hands in a formal transfer request, something he has not hinted at doing anytime soon.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract runs down till June 2021. He has often mentioned his intentions of playing in the UEFA Champions League. However, his side has been stuck in the Europa League in the last few years. The scenario isn’t too bright this season as well, as Arsenal are currently 10th in the points table. They are 10 points adrift of the top four – a place they should be in to compete in the Champions League, with lifting the Europa League the only other route into the coveted competition next season.
Hence, clubs have started monitoring the situation of Aubameyang. With Barcelona’s new manager Quique Setien desperate to bring in a striker in this transfer window, they have shifted their focus to the 30-year-old. Given the nearing expiry date of his contract, Arsenal might have to accept a bid if their leader indeed comes up with a transfer request, now, or in the summer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Ideal goal scorer they need?
Setien is desperate to sign a forward so as to replace Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez in light of his injury and also inconsistent form. The goal-scoring machine suffered a major knee injury recently and had to go under the knife. He will be out for a few months, to say the least. Since Suarez is one of the most trusted sources of goals for Barca, they are eager to get a trusted goal poacher in January as they look to keep their La Liga and Champions League hopes alive, the two big trophies the Catalan club is targeting along with the Copa del Rey.
Their primary target is Inter Milan’s Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez. He has been in sublime form for the past season and a half. However, Barca will have to break the bank to get the signing done. Even then, a deal in this window is going to be very difficult, as Inter are in a great position to lift the Serie A even though he has been somewhat playing second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku.
Though Aubameyang is now 30, he is still very much in his ‘prime’. He scored 31 goals in 51 games last season. This season, he has also netted 16 times in just 26 games. He is Arsenal’s highest goal-scorer at the moment. With his age not having a reflection in his form whatsoever, Barcelona can have faith in Aubameyang. Since he has been at the north London club, he hasn’t experienced a long patch of bad form.
Hence, he might be the ‘serial goal-getter’ Setien is searching for but one of their many hard-to-land-in-January transfer targets.
