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Arsenal have decided to end talks with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang about a contract extension.
The 30 year old’s current deal expires in June 2021, and, prior to the lockdown, the club had been keen to tie him down to a new long-term contract.
However, the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic have now changed the economic dynamics for the Gunners. Aubameyang is looking for an increase on his £200,000 a week wages, and that represents a major challenge for a club whose players last week became the first in the Premier League to agree a pay cut.
Giving one man more money when his teammates have agreed a 12.5% salary reduction does not only look bad, but is unlikely to do anything for dressing room harmony.
Arsenal are now ready to sell him instead rather than allow him to leave for free at the end of his contract. A host of clubs are interested in signing him, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, although Inter Milan are believed to be the current favourites.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.