Arsenal have £20m Aubameyang transfer plan but Arteta hopeful about face-to-face talks
Arsenal have put in a place a £20million transfer plan for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but boss Mikel Arteta is still hopeful about holding face-to-face talks.
Aubameyang: Pundit discusses potential transfer options
Arsenal are prepared to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the north London club until the end of his contract rather than sell him in the upcoming transfer window for a knockdown fee, according to reports.
Aubameyang will soon be entering the final 12-months of this contract this summer and the club don't appear to be close to agreeing a new deal with the striker.
However, according to The Sun, Arsenal will not be bullied into selling Aubameyang to the first club who makes a bid to ensure they avoid him running down his contract and leaving the club for nothing in the future.
This is not the first time the Gunners have been in this situation after allowing Alexis Sanchez to leave to join Manchester United in 2018 and last summer losing Aaron Ramsey to Juventus on a free transfer.
Arsenal chief Raul Sanllehi had insisted that no player will be allowed to run down his contract again, but this policy could now be relaxed due to state of the current transfer market.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Mikel Arteta wants to keep Aubameyang and is still hopeful that face-to-face talks will persuade the striker that he can still achieve his ambitions at the club.
Aubameyang, who will turn 31 this month, has made it clear he has a desire to play in the Champions League and challenge for trophies in the final years of his career.
Arsenal are currently ninth in the table and are eight points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
With Premier League football set to resume on June 17, Arsenal do have a game in hand to play which could close the gap, but that match is against second-placed Manchester City.
And while the Gunners have only lost six league matches so far this campaign they have also struggled to win matches too and currently find themselves in a position where they have drawn nearly half of their games.
Arsenal news: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be out of contract in 2021 (Image: GETTY)
If an acceptable offer is made for Aubameyang this summer, the Gunners still know it will not be easy to replace what the 30-year-old currently brings to Arteta's squad.
Aubameyang has not stopped scoring goals for Arsenal since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund for a then club record of £56m in 2018.
He has continued this impressive form this season and has found the back of the net 20 times in 32 appearances in all competitions.