Arsenal chief Mikel Arteta confirms FA Cup final will NOT be contract rebel Aubameyang's last match for club
ARSENAL fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Mikel Arteta has confirmed the FA Cup final will NOT be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's last match for the club.
But the North Londoners are relying heavily on winning the FA Cup and more importantly, on nabbing a Europa League spot for next season to fund a major offer for Auba.
Auba has just one-year left on his deal and the North Londoners are desperate to renew their skipper's contract.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for the latest Gunners news
Boss Mikel Arteta has even urged the club to get a deal done on more than one occasion in recent weeks.
However finances have often proved a stumbling block for the cash-strapped Gunners, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
If Arsenal qualified for the Europa League, it would provide a huge financial boost to Arteta’s hopes of revamping the squad and holding onto Auba.
When asked whether he felt it could be Aubameyang’s last game in a Gunners shirt, Arteta said: "No, I don’t have that feeling.
"It’s a package at the end, you need to have a lot of ingredients on the table to persuade a player of his level to be at this football club.
"It is a massive day. I wouldn’t like to talk or link too much these two factors but it’s a reality obviously that financially it would be really helpful and obviously from the sporting side as well to play in Europe for this club is a must.
"Don’t forget that he still has a contract here with us and we want to keep him and do it in a more long term.
"But at the moment he is with us and I think he should be really proud of where he is as well."
Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus are all monitoring Auba's contract situation with keen interest, ahead of a potential summer swoop.
The Catalan giants have made no secret of their desire to acquire a new forward this summer.
And while Inter Milan goal-getter Lautaro Martinez appears to be at the top of their wishlist, his £100million release clause is proving to be a stumbling block.
Aubameyang is virtually irreplaceable at the Emirates, having shared the Golden Boot last season and finding the net 22 times in the top-flight this term, to finish just one behind top scorer Jamie Vardy.
Source: Read Full Article