ARSENAL SLAP 55 MILLION EURO PRICE-TAG ON AUBAMEYANG

Arsenal know they will lose Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer. They have tried and failed to renew his contract which has but a year left to run. So instead they will sell him in the summer, demanding a minimum of 55 million euros for the striker. Barcelona think they can reach a deal with Auba first to move that price down further still.

Barcelona met with Auba’s people in January to speak about his signing after they found out how long Luis Suarez would be out for.

Arsenal did not want to negotiate a figure and said the striker was not transferrable. His closest people were open to forcing a way out but Barca didn’t have the money for it at the time.

Now the message from Auba is the same. If they want him, they will have to push Arsenal to drive the price down. The English club do want to sell if he won’t stay, to stop him leaving for free in 2021.

They are unlikely to get in the Champions League so selling Aubameyang would be a lucrative business.

Arsenal spent 63 million euros on him in 2018, the most expensive player in their history. He has excelled there.

Barcelona like the player a lot and he has good history in Germany and England, two big leagues, so he could also adapt well to Spain. He likes spaces but combines well with technical ability and agility. He could prove a bargain.

The one handicap is his age. He's at his best moment professionally but at 30 may not have many years left at that level.