Arsenal need to start planning for life without Aubameyang.
It looks like Arsenal need to start planning for life without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to latest transfer news regarding our top scorer.
The Gabon international has been a world class performer for the Gunners and won’t be easy to replace, but there are some big names out there who could surely do a decent job.
According to the Daily Mirror, we’ve pulled out of contract talks with Aubameyang as the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan queue up for his signature.
With the 30-year-old heading towards the final year of his contract and seemingly no closer to a renewal, it looks like it’s time to move on. Here are nine options, some more realistic than others, who could help us fill that considerable void up front…
Odsonne Edouard
An impressive young striker doing the business at Celtic, it’s easy to imagine Odsonne Edouard could step up to become a top performer in the Premier League too.
Le 10 Sport recently linked us with the 22-year-old, stating he’d cost just €40million – a potential bargain if he can continue to improve and fulfil his immense potential.
Victor Osimhen
Another impressive young player who seems to fit our profile is Victor Osimhen, who’s had a superb season at Nicolas Pepe’s old club Lille.
Could we raid the Ligue 1 side again? A recent report from Le Quotidien Du Foot claimed we were among the 21-year-old’s suitors, and he’s been quoted in the Independent as saying he wants to play in England.
Luka Jovic
Despite a difficult first season at Real Madrid, Luka Jovic is a top young talent who could be another fine long-term Aubameyang replacement if he can get back to his best.
According to Sport, the Serbia international is Mikel Arteta’s preferred option to come in if Auba leaves, so we’ll have to hope Real Madrid are impatient enough to let him go after just one season.
Edinson Cavani
We’ve not been linked with Edinson Cavani, but the experienced Uruguay international has fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain this season and could be worth trying at Arsenal as a short-term option.
One of the most lethal finishers in the game for many years, Cavani looks made for Premier League football and could be just what we need for a year or two so we’re not rushing youngsters like Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah into becoming first choice straight away.
Raul Jimenez
We’ve been mentioned as being among the suitors for Wolves striker Raul Jimenez by a recent report from the Daily Star, and this would certainly be another promising option for us.
The Mexico international has shown what he can do in the Premier League and looks like he has what it takes to shine for a bigger club than Wolves.
Moussa Dembele
A quality player who’s been linked with our rivals, Moussa Dembele is surely an option worth exploring if Aubameyang leaves.
The Frenchman has been prolific for Lyon, and the Sun suggest he’d cost around £60million – surely not out of our price range? The difficulty would come with persuading him to join us over the likes of Manchester United, mentioned in that report from the Sun, and Chelsea, who have both been linked with him by The Athletic.
Donyell Malen
A player who had a two-year spell with us at youth level earlier in his career, Donyell Malen is now a star performer for PSV and has been linked with a move back to the Emirates Stadium.
Le 10 Sport claim we’re interested in re-signing Malen, who’d possibly cost around £48million, and while he’s not one of the most established names on this list, he could be worth a gamble as a young player who’d likely improve under the expert guidance of Mikel Arteta.
Timo Werner
Most strongly linked with Liverpool, Timo Werner might be a bit of an ambitious target for us to consider, but if Aubameyang goes this is surely the calibre of player we need to be battling to sign.
Especially as Sky Sports report he has a release clause of just £52million until 15 June – a fee that is surely not out of our price range if we can somehow persuade the prolific RB Leipzig ace to turn down Liverpool for us.
Gabriel Jesus
A wildcard option, but perhaps one to think about in the coming weeks and months – Gabriel Jesus’ future at Manchester City could be in some doubt.
The Metro recently reported that Pep Guardiola could surprisingly be open to letting the young Brazilian go, despite his impressive record at the Etihad Stadium. We could surely offer him more playing time, and he looks like a superb potential Aubameyang replacement, even if some slightly bigger names will surely be in for him too.