Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has responded to social media claims that he could leave the north London club if they do not secure Champions League football for next season.
Aubameyang replied to a tweet on Wednesday afternoon to AFTV Media by saying: “Why they talk about what they don’t know.”
AFTV (Arsenal Fan TV) had tweeted a report from the Mirror, writing: “Arsenal have held positive contract discussions with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the player wants to see if the club will be playing Champions League football next season.”
The 30-year-old has less than 18 months remaining on his Arsenal contract and is a transfer target for European clubs Barcelona and Inter Milan.
READ MORE
-
Arsenal hero explains how Mesut Ozil can force his way back into team
And if they cannot agree a new deal they will need to make a firm decision on whether to cash in on the striker in the summer, or risk seeing the player go for free just one season later.
Aubameyang’s growing importance has been highlighted by manager Mikel Arteta following the club’s third victory in the space of a week, and the Spaniard is hoping to convince the Gabonese international to stay a little bit longer.
He said: ‘He’s our most important player. Stats wise there’s no question about the impact that he has on the team.
“So as much as i can and the club can we will try to convince him to stay with us.”
It was reported that Aubameyang has been reluctant to sign a contract extension given his desire to play at the highest level in Europe and it was also reportedly suggested he had doubts over the club’s ambition.
According to Le10 Sport, the former Borussia Dortmund striker spoke to the board prior to Arteta’s appointment last autumn.
The striker could demand close to Mesut Ozil’s £350,000 per week wage although Arsenal could be reluctant to offer such a deal given he is now approaching the latter stages of his career.
Aubameyang has made an instrumental impact scoring 60 goals in 95 appearances since joining from Dortmund and leads by example through his performances on the pitch.
He was named captain back in November after replacing Granit Xhaka and further proved his worth when scoring twice in the 3-2 victory over Everton on Sunday to draw level with Jamie Vardy on 17 goals, putting him at the top of the goalscoring chart.
Source: Read Full Article
Sheffield Wednesday fans raise over £6,000 in memory of Lowery
Rangers fan loses his mind after Aberdeen score and is spotted battering a gate
Fans spot moment they think bungling VAR told referee ‘we f***ed up big time’
Gary Neville calls on VAR critics to 'be human'
PGMOL takes action against two officials after VAR error with Liverpool