ARSENAL must “100 per cent” sell Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer to avoid losing him for nothing next year, says ex-Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere.
And even though they could have once demanded a figure close to £100million, the Frenchman says his old club have to flog their top scorer even if it is for a much-reduced fee.
Gabon international Aubameyang is about to enter the last year of his contract and has been unable to reach an agreement on an extension at the Emirates.
And that has left boss Mikel Arteta with a huge problem on whether to offload one of his best players once the transfer window re-opens.
LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been linked with the Arsenal captain along with Inter Milan but the North London side remain hopeful the 30-year-old could stay.
But Aliadiere insists they should not take the risk as he blasted his old employer’s mis-management.
He told Goal: “They’ve got to sell him, 100 per cent.
“Arsenal can’t keep losing players on a free. To be honest, I still can’t believe we’ve again got a top player, our captain, going into the summer only having one year left on his contract.
“For me, it has to be sorted when he gets to two years. Last summer he should have signed a deal or been sold. Because when you get down to one year left, in a player’s mind there is a difference.
“If I was Aubameyang and I knew I only had one year left, I would sacrifice one year of my career to go on a free and get paid a ridiculous amount of money and have all the clubs in the world chasing me. Who wouldn’t?”
Last summer Arsenal lost both Jack Wilshere to West Ham and Aaron Ramsey to Juventus on free transfers after their contracts expired.
Bacary Sagna is another who has departed on a free in recent years.
Allowing players to enter the final 12 months of their deals has been a long-term problem for the Gunners.
Star duo Sanchez and Ozil were both allowed to do so in 2018, with the Chilean sold as part of a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
German World Cup winner Ozil was given a new £350-000-a-week contract – which has been heavily criticised ever since due to his drop in form and regular injury absences.
Aliadiere added: “That’s why I just think it’s wrong management yet again. It should be sorted at two years. You should not let a player end up with a year left on his contract, especially a player like Aubameyang. It’s not right.
“I just think players are playing on it, they keep letting negotiations drag on and the next thing you know, he’s just got one year left.
“And now, how much are we going to sell him for with one year left? Arsenal are in the worst position you can imagine again because you’ve got a top quality player who assures you of 20-25 Premier League goals a season who is one year away from leaving on a free.
“Or, he gets sold to Barcelona or Real Madrid and for what? How much can you expect for him now? Nothing compared to what if you’d sold him last summer. They could have asked for £100m.”
Aubameyang has scored 61 goals in 97 appearances since signing from Borussia Dortmund in 2018.
