Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal.
The forward’s future at the club has been thrown into doubt in recent months, as after the captaincy was taken off him back in December following disciplinary issues, there has also been the possibility that he could be moved out of the club in the January transfer window.
Indeed, reports had suggested that he could be on his way to Newcastle United.
Now though, it appears as if other clubs have offered him a route out of north London, as CBS Sports reported that Saudi Arabian duo, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, are showing an interest in the Gabon striker.
Speaking on Wednesday’s edition of Sky Sports News’ The Transfer Show, Sheth revealed some of the details regarding the proposed move, and how it could be of huge benefit to the Gunners from a financial standpoint, even if the initial transfer fee doesn’t exactly seem the greatest.
Sheth said: “It’s been confirmed to us in the last hour that the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made an offer to sign the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“It’s thought the offer is for a loan move until the end of the season, but some reports have suggested that the loan comes with an obligation to buy for around €8m. Now, you remember we reported earlier this month that if offers did come in for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, then Arsenal would consider them.
“A departure now would, of course, represent a huge saving for Arsenal, because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract, with 18 months left, is worth around £350,000 a week. If they were to manage to offload Aubameyang in this transfer window and he didn’t play for Arsenal again and all of his wages were covered, it would represent a saving of around £25m.”
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As Sheth points out, if a club is willing to take on all of Aubameyang’s wages – something that was an issue for them when Mesut Ozil left the club last year to join Fenerbahce – it could be a major lifeline for Arsenal financially after they made a pretty significant loss in the past few years due to the pandemic.
And given how Arsenal are in the process of a major rebuild right now, having focused on signing younger players and bringing through academy prospects, that money could go an awful long way to helping Mikel Arteta with his overhaul of the squad.
So if these reports are indeed true when it comes to Aubameyang, who hasn’t exactly performed well this year with just seven goals to his name, then it’s something that Arsenal should seriously consider accepting.
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