There has been a stunning late twist in the deal to take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal to Barcelona.
The Gabonese was pictured at Barcelona airport earlier on Monday afternoon, and the conclusion that many outlets had made was that he was there to sign a loan deal with the Catalan club.
However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the proposed switch has broken down over an issue with salary.
At this late stage, it seems that there won’t be enough time to resurrect the deal and get the medical completed, and Ornstein notes that Barca need to find a lot of money in any case if they want the deal to reverse again.
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What all of that means of course is that Aubameyang faces a further six months on the sidelines at Arsenal because there’s next to no likelihood that Mikel Arteta will put him back into his starting line-up.
It’s the Gunners that are potentially the losers as Barcelona still have options up front in Luuk de Jong, Martin Braithwaite and Memphis Depay.
? EXCLUSIVE: Barcelona / Arsenal talks for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang loan have broken down over salary. 32yo returning to London from what’s said to have been a family trip to Spanish city. Unless #FCBarcelona find major money it’s off @TheAthleticUK #AFC https://t.co/eRNFZ74LsC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 31, 2022