REAL MADRID are considering a move for Arsenal forward Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang but the Spanish giants have told the striker he is not their main target.
Aubameyang is out of contract next summer and Zinedine Zidane is hoping to persuade the striker to move to the Bernabeu.
According to the Express, Zidane has told Aubameyang he’s keen to sign him but he will not be his first-choice target in the transfer window.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker as attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs and laughed off the idea of signing a new contract at Arsenal on an Instagram live chat with Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The Arsenal captain has scored 17 goals in 26 Premier League games this season – which easily makes him the club’s top scorer.
Aubameyang’s reluctance to sign a new deal could mean Mikel Arteta will have no choice but to sell him this summer, just so they don’t lose the forward on a free transfer next year.
Should Arteta decide to sell, the club will be hoping to recoup most of the £56million they paid Dortmund in 2018.
Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane remain Madrid’s top targets according to the report but both will cost significantly more than Aubameyang.
Haaland has been in sensational form this season, which earned him a move to the Bundesliga side from Red Bull Salzburg.
The Norwegian striker has scored nine goals in eight appearances for the Lucian Favre’s side and continues to attract interest from Madrid and Manchester United.
It will take an enormous offer to tempt Mane away from Liverpool, with the Senegalese forward helping the Reds to a Champions League trophy last year and helping the side to the top of the Premier League this season.
Mane has netted 14 times in the league this season, which has helped propel Jurgen Klopp’s side 25 points clear of Manchester City in second.
Aubameyang’s Arsenal future could depend on the club reaching the Champions League places, but they sit eight points off the top four with 10 games remaining.
Should the Gunners move the star striker on, it would free up funds for Arteta to build his own squad, capable of challenging for the top four.
Arsenal have endured a tough season so far, with Unai Emery being sacked in November and only winning nine games in the league.
