Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to sign Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang if Dani Ceballos moves in the other direction, according to Diario Gol.
The Spanish rumour mongers claim the Gunners have already tabled a €30m (£27m) proposal to sign Ceballos on a permanent basis following his excellent performances in recent months. However, Perez will reportedly ask about the availability of Aubameyang in the discussions, with the 31-year-old still yet to sign a new contract. The striker is very appealing right now to all the top clubs in Europe due to his devastating form this season and in particular since Mikel Arteta has been at the helm at the Emirates.
Auba scored an impressive 29 goals across all competitions in the 2019-20 season with 22 in the Premier League, 3 in the Europa League but crucially 4 in the FA Cup. The Gabonese hitman showed up when it counted the most as he bagged a double in the semi-final against his manager’s old club in Manchester City and then another brace in the final at Wembley against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea as he led Arsenal to FA Cup victory.
Arsenal’s captain really left the Chelsea defence in tatters with Chelsea fans unhappy with the Blues’ rearguard on the day. Lampard likely knows that while his back 4 were not at the races against Arsenal the result was to a great extent down to the irresistible Aubameyang and the clinical way he took his chances. The Chelsea manager will be hoping that Timo Werner can be nearly as effective as the Gabon forward next season for the Stamford Bridge club.
Back to Auba though and it shows the true class of a man who can deliver the goods at the big moments hence the major attraction he is to top clubs around the world – let’s be honest which team cannot use another 30 goals a season striker? Obviously there are going to be many teams on that list. With the Arsenal star having under a year left on his current deal, the London club will have decide whether they will sell the Gabon international or risk losing him on a free transfer next year. The majority of opinion in the media and pundits suggests Arsenal should do what it takes to sign the player to an extension. It’s either that or risk losing him for nothing in a year as a free-agent or have another Alexis Sanchez scenario where the player effectively downs tools before being sold in the January transfer window for a knock down price.
Winning the FA Cup should not be under-estimated – speaking before the game a former Gunners favourite and ex Chelsea man weighed in on the importance of the trophy to each club – Cesc Fabregas said that Arsenal needed it more as the Spaniard knew how important it was for Arteta to win the FA Cup final and to secure European football for his team even if it is the Europa League.
Mikel Arteta, who became the first at Arsenal to win the FA Cup both as a captain and a manager, has stated he is now more confident that Aubameyang will sign on the dotted line following the Gunners’ FA Cup triumph but we shall have to wait and see what happens over the coming weeks. It was a record 14th win in the competition for the Gunners and a fine end to a season which looked rather grim at the end of Unai Emery’s reign in his 2nd season in charge. Arteta has made a great deal of progress with Arsenal and Pierre-Emerick Abameyang has been central to that.