The Gunners striker was close to completing a January move to Camp Nou.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang travelled to Barcelona on the final day of the January transfer window. Following his recent issues at Arsenal, the Gabon international hoped to escape Mikel Arteta’s side by joining Barcelona. However, his plans have collapsed due to a last-minute development in the negotiations between Arsenal and Barca.
According to the Athletic, Aubameyang will not join Barcelona this January. The involved parties have reportedly not reached an agreement over the player’s wages, and he will return to London tomorrow.
Aubameyang had offers from Juventus and Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. However, he was keen to accept a pay cut to join Barca mid-season. On the other hand, Barcelona saw both of their plans to sign a new striker fail this winter. Juventus blocked Alvaro Morata from returning to Spain before a deadline day move for Aubameyang collapsed.
Aubameyang will now return to London amid uncertainty over his future at the club. Mikel Arteta has stripped him of his team’s captaincy while also freezing him out of the squad.
Arsenal themselves pushed to find a replacement for Aubameyang. But their main transfer target Dusan Vlahovic ended up joining Juventus. This will only raise the stakes ahead of the next summer transfer window, where several European giants will pursue deals for the top strikers in the market.
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