ARSENAL club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is ‘open’ to a shock January move to Barcelona, according to reports.
Aubameyang made headlines at the weekend after being left out of Arsenal’s matchday squad to face Southampton due to a ‘disciplinary breach’.
And now reports have emerged linking him with a move away from North London.
Spanish outlet El Nacional claim that Aubameyang would be willing to make the switch to Barcelona ‘without hesitation’ in January.
Aubameyang’s absence from the squad is said to have come after he returned a day late from picking up his mother in France.
It could signal the beginning of the end of the striker’s Arsenal career.
He was also left on the bench for the 2-1 defeat to Everton last Monday, with Alexandre Lacazette instead preferred from the start.
The 32-year-old only has 18 months left to run on his current contract so Arsenal could be tempted to cash in as soon as possible.
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Barcelona meanwhile are desperate for reinforcements up front.
Sergio Aguero is rumoured to be retiring from football due to heart complications, while Memphis Depay has picked up an injury.
That leaves Luuk de Jong as Xavi’s only option to lead the line, a player who has scored one goal in 11 games.
The bizarre summer signing from Sevilla is a hugely unpopular figure among Barcelona fans.
However a sticking point in a potential deal is Barcelona’s lack of cash.
Club president Joan Laporta declared he would ‘look at the market’ in January to help Xavi kickstart his revolution at the club.
But mounting debts at the Nou Camp mean the club are likely to have to rely on recruiting free agents and shrewd loan moves until the wage bill is trimmed.
And with Aubameyang currently earning a mind-boggling £250,000-a-week at the Emirates, Barca have their work cut out if they want to get a deal over the line.
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