Exit Aubameyang? 4 likeliest destinations for the Arsenal striker

Is it set to be arrivederci Aubameyang this summer? Ever since he rocked up at the Emirates in 2018, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been a rare source of reliability for Arsenal, scoring 49 goals in just 75 league appearances.

But in dispiriting news for supporters of the North London side, their captain looks to be on his way out.

With Aubameyang’s contract set to expire in summer 2021, Arsenal and the player’s representatives had been negotiating for a new contract. Even the striker’s own father posted on Auba’s Instagram feed, implying that his son should sign a new deal with his current team.

Meanwhile, Gabon FA president Pierre Alain Mounguengui takes the opposite view, earlier this month telling ESPN that Gabon international Aubameyang should move to a more ambitious club in order to win trophies.

Now, a report in the Daily Express suggests Arsenal have decided that rather than seek to keep the player at the club with a costly wage increase, they intend to sell him. The Gunners have a figure of around £56m in mind for the forward.

The 30-year-old is one of the most admired strikers in world football, with a host of top-level clubs keen to add Aubameyang to their ranks. Here are the likeliest destinations for the former Borussia Dortmund man.

Inter Milan

Inter are currently seen as the front runners to attract the striker, with boss Antonio Conte keen to bring Aubameyang to Serie A. With the Milanese giants desperate to compete with a Juventus team that have won the last eight league titles, Aubameyang could be the man to help Inter win the Scudetto for the first time in a decade.

Aubameyang has old ties to the city, if not the club; as a youngster, he was part of the AC Milan academy, and would supposedly welcome a return to his old stomping ground. The biggest sticking point is thought to be the forward’s wage demands; Aubameyang is said to be seeking £200,000 a week for his services.

Barcelona

If Inter fail to get their man, maybe La Liga could be Auba’s next destination instead. Just last month, Spanish newspaper Sport plastered the player all over their cover with the sensational claim that he wants to sign for Barcelona.

The attraction is supposedly mutual, with Barca supposedly identifying the player as their No.1 target for transfer business back in January.

The club have had a difficult campaign by their own high standards, dismissing Ernesto Valverde to replace him with the largely unproven Quique Setien after a disappointing Supercup defeat to Atletico Madrid.

But for all that Barca currently top La Liga by two points, and will certainly be able to offer Aubameyang more potential glory than he’s experienced in North London – not to mention Champions League football.

Chelsea

Another option for Auba is to remain in the Premier League – and with a move to West London, he wouldn’t even need a change of address. It wouldn’t be the first time a Gunner headed to Stamford Bridge either, Ashley Cole famously joining the Blues from Arsenal in 2006.

Current Chelsea boss Frank Lampard would love a striker of Aubameyang’s calibre, with Lampard having hoped to sign Edinson Cavani in January. That deal didn’t materialise, but it’s thought that Lampard is now hopeful of moving on the out-of-favour Michy Batshuayi – and replacing him with Auba.

Real Madrid

If one Spanish giant expresses an interest in a player, you can be sure the other one won’t be far behind.

So it is with Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid, with one report suggesting Real are hopeful that they can do a deal with Arsenal that brings Aubameyang to the Spanish capital for a reduced fee. In return, Dani Ceballos, currently on loan with the Gunners, would become a full-blown Arsenal player.

That idea seems a little fanciful, given that Ceballos has only made 10 league appearances for Arsenal so far this season. The player has even admitted he would like to return to Real Madrid in the future.

Still, Real are certainly keen to recruit a partner for longstanding frontman Karim Benzema, with Spanish paper Sport insisting the Madrid club are eager to sign the Arsenal man. And back when he was a Dortmund player, Auba once said that playing for Real Madrid will “always be my dream”.

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