Despite their recent struggles, Barcelona are looking to end the transfer window on a high. The Catalan giants are enmeshed in financial distress and need some ingenuity to sign players. It hasn’t been easy, but somehow Joan Laporta has been able to make it work.
The club has struggled to get some players off their wage bill to make room for others to arrive. Despite their struggles, Barcelona have been able to sign Ferran Torres and Adama Traore in the January transfer window. It has taken some sacrifice on the part of some players to get the club back on track.
With the January transfer window set to close at midnight on Monday, January 31, 2022, Barcelona are not yet done in the market as they hope to bring in at least one more player. Los Blaugrana are looking to acquire the services of Gabon international Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
Barcelona close to Aubameyang deal
Arsenal are shedding some fat, and one player that can’t wait to see his back is Gabon international Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. There is plenty of uncertainty concerning the future of the Arsenal striker.
Barcelona are keen to bring the forward to Camp Nou, and several reports suggest that a deal is close to being agreed between the two clubs. Barcelona wants to take Aubameyang on loan.
Barcelona want to beef up their attacking options as they go into the business end of the season and haventified Aubameyang as a player that can boost their chances of securing a top-four position.
The Athletic reports that Los Blaugrana is close to an agreement with Arsenal to sign the striker on loan. According to the report, Barcelona will not pay a loan fee to Arsenal but will cover a sizable chunk of his £350,000-a-week wages. It would amount to massive savings for Arsenal, but the financial state of Barcelona makes it a complicated deal.
The deal will not include an obligation to buy at the end of the loan move. Barcelona is currently trying to reach a consensus on his wage. If they succeed in reaching an agreement, then the deal should go through before the deadline on Monday.
Arsenal left short in attack
Belief in several quarters is that the Gunners are being boneheaded concerning Aubameyang. The 32-year-old has not been a part of the team under Mikel Arteta. Freezing Aubameyang out of Arsenal follows a disciplinary breach in December. The Gabon international also lost the captaincy.
Arsenal are currently shorthanded in attack, with their two main options being Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah. The latter has also attracted interest from Crystal Palace and Newcastle, having failed to sign a new contract.
Aubameyang has also attracted interest from other clubs. Al Nasr were willing to take him in and cover his salary till the end of the season. According to football.london, Aubameyang has no interest in going to the desert country, preferring to remain in Europe. It looks like a move to Barcelona is more likely.
Aubameyang has scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for Arsenal, but it seems his time at the Emirates is up with the forward being left out of their warm-weather camp in Dubai this week.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
