Five clubs Aubameyang could join in transfer window as Arsenal ‘pull out’ talks including rivals Man United and Chelsea
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG could be set to leave Arsenal in the summer after reports of a fresh setback in his contract situation.
The Gunners are said to have pulled out of extending their captain's deal.
Negotiations over Aubameyang's £200,000-a-week deal have been protracted and the financial hit being experienced by the Premier League club has made a pay rise even less likely.
With Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal decided to hold on into the last year of their stars' deals in the hope they will change their mind.
But on both occasion they were left out of pocket as players left, potentially encouraging a cash-in this time around.
Several clubs are lining up to snaffle the Gabon forward and SunSport details five plausible routes he can take once this season ends.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be desperate to add to his attack once the season ends with Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and James Maddison all touted as potential arrivals.
Yet transfer chief Ed Woodward has already warded off the idea of big-money additions - so where does that leave Aubameyang?
Depending on the forward's situation at Arsenal, if it truly is at torrid as it seems and he is destined to go amid a financial meltdown, United could be primed to pick up the pieces.
A £62million bid was rumoured to have landed last year and such a fee, less than it will take to sign Sancho, could soon be taken seriously.
CHELSEA
Like United, Chelsea must hope their Champions League dreams leave them in a seriously superior financially position than Arsenal to push through a deal.
The Gunners are going to be desperate to avoid selling to a Premier League rival but Aubameyang, who kicked up a fuss to leave Borussia Dortmund, may have his head turned if a healthy contract is on offer across the capital.
Olivier Giroud may be sticking around for the start of next season but a new striker to rival, or play alongside, Tammy Abraham would be handy.
ESPN describe the 30-year-old as on Frank Lampard's radar and the Blues have saved plenty of spare cash from not signing a player for almost a year.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Several deals previously thought to be done and dusted are suddenly taking a back seat in the Covid-19 affected market.
PSG's decisions over loanee Mauro Icardi and the out-of-contract Edinson Cavani are up in the air as clubs reassess their options.
It is plausible the Ligue 1 side find themselves without either man while facing Spanish advances on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Once the dust settles, PSG reigniting their supposed January interest and completing a quickfire swoop for Aubameyang cannot be discounted at this stage.
BARCELONA
Barcelona may regret splashing £20million on Martin Braithwaite now but that short-term outlay could be the difference between being able to afford Lautaro Martinez and Aubameyang.
The Inter Milan star is thought of as the first-choice purchase at the Camp Nou but comes with a price tag nearing £100million, surely more than what Arsenal can hold out for on their captain.
And while the Nerazzurri are linked with Aubameyang too, Barcelona are the better bet in the unique market approaching.
Sorting a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez is certainly the priority but old habits die hard and an off-the-shelf star going for a reasonable price may be too much to turn down for the LaLiga giants.
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SHANGHAI SIPG
In June, The Times reported that the Far East could be calling for Aubameyang having made numerous attempts to land him in the past.
The offer of a £300,000-a-week contract was said to be on the table from Shanghai SIPG after Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin Quanjian made plays earlier in the striker's career.
Such a move this summer cannot be ruled out if Chinese clubs have been able to weather the financial storm engulfing the global economy.
Indeed, the transfer stasis set to settle over Europe's super clubs may lead to these locations being the only ones offering the sort of wages still being demanded.
