Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is on his way out of Arsenal after expressing his wishes to leave in January, according to journalist Ian McGarry.
The Gunners star forward scored his 13th Premier League goal in a loss to Chelsea on Sunday. He is second in the Premier League Golden Boot race behind Jamie Vardy’s 17 strikes.
All in all, Aubameyang’s scored a superb 56 goals in just 89 appearances in all competitions and recently named captain after the Granit Xhaka incident with Gunners fans.
Will the Arsenal captain stay or go?
The Gabon international is apparently unhappy with the current mess at the North London club — he was hesitant to sign a new contract under Emery. Arsenal sit just 12th in the league table with Mikel Arteta recently hired to turn things around.
With 18 months left on his contract, the 31-year-old is eyeing a clear chance to play Champions League football. Given the way Arsenal’s season is going, qualifying for Champions League looks bleak.
Auba has already been linked with Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even while at Dortmund he expressed his interest in signing for Los Blancos as a promise to his dying grandfather.
“Before he died two years ago I promised him that one day I would play for Real Madrid,” Aubameyang told L’Equipe in 2016.
“My grandfather was from Avila, not far from Madrid. It’s what I said to him. I know it’s not easy but it’s something I keep in mind.
“I celebrate my goals with a cartwheel in honour of Hugo Sánchez. I’ve seen many videos of him on the internet and I’ve been following him since I was a boy.
“To play for Madrid or for another great club in La Liga would be a nice gift to my mother, Margarita, who is Spanish.”
Auba’s exit makes way for the possible return of Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud who’s fallen behind sole striker Tammy Abraham as Lampard’s preferred number one.
While Giroud may be a solid temporary backup, Arsenal will need to seek a long-term replacement to directly replace Auba’s prolific goal output.
Will Auba stay or go this January? Let us know on Twitter.
