Barcelona reach agreement with Aubameyang; Dembélé will play a key role
Barcelona have reached an agreement with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a loan until the end of the season, claims Spanish journalist Gerard Romero. However, to actually welcome the Arsenal forward , the Catalans must first manage to get rid of Ousmane Dembele. The French attacker has an expiring contract with Barcelona and can count on interest from several European top clubs.
For Barcelona, Aubameyang’s mega salary seemed likely to be the biggest stumbling block in a potential loan deal. The possibilities of the Catalans are known to be limited by the salary cap imposed by LaLiga. Barca have had to do all the necessary tricks to sign Ferran Torres and Dani Alves and can probably only pay for part of Aubameyang’s salary. However, according to Romero, Barca have managed to reach an agreement with the attacker. Although it is still questionable whether Arsenal is also satisfied with the part of his salary that will be taken over by the Catalan club during the possible loan.
The second stumbling block is Dembélé for the time being. The 24-year-old attacker is being pushed towards the exit at the Camp Nou due to his expiring contract and must create space for another reinforcement besides Adama Traoré. With Dembele’s departure in January, Barcelona would lose a hefty salary and could start looking for a new attacker. If the Catalans fail to get rid of Dembele, Aubameyang’s arrival will not go ahead either.
Aubameyang was again disciplined by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal on December 6 and has since been out of the Gunners ‘ squad . The attacker, who is the highest-paid player in the club with a salary of more than twenty million euros, can therefore look for a new employer. Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr were serious in the market and wanted to hire Aubameyang with an option to buy, but the 72-time international is determined to prove himself one last time at the very highest level. The Saudi Arabian proposals were therefore brushed aside.