Aubameyang transfer interest gives Arsenal some exciting opportunities.
Arsenal fans will no doubt be tiring of all the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer speculation at the moment, but some interesting stories have come up.
There is seemingly a long list of clubs chasing our top scorer, with the Gabon international clearly a world class talent who could thrive in many of Europe’s biggest teams.
With spending likely to be lower due to the coronavirus crisis, Arsenal could take advantage and ask for some big-name players in return for Aubameyang.
The Express link Manchester United and Chelsea as being among the 30-year-old’s admirers, along with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan, while PSG have been linked with him by Mundo Deportivo.
Let’s take a quick look at the players we might realistically be able to get in exchange from these clubs…
Man Utd
We could do with a defender or two, and United have some you fancy they might be ready to get rid of in the near future.
Chris Smalling has had a fine season on loan at Roma, showing that he could be worth giving another chance to in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Eric Bailly has had his injury problems so might be a player the Red Devils are happy to let go. It would be a gamble for us, but if the Ivorian can get back to his best, he’d surely be an upgrade on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
Chelsea
If we could get a defender from Chelsea, the most realistic option might be Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman hasn’t quite lived up to his potential after some injury problems, and has had mixed success whilst out on loan a few times. Like Bailly, he’d be a gamble, but one that could be worth taking for us right now.
We could also do with strengthening in midfield, and of Chelsea’s midfielders perhaps one they’d be most likely to let go is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He’s also had his injury problems and will surely have fallen down their pecking order by now, perhaps giving us the chance to swoop for him and get him back to his best. On his day, he’s got real quality and could fill a number of midfield roles for us.
Real Madrid
Of course, the first name that springs to mind here is Dani Ceballos, who has been on loan with us this season and who perhaps seems unlikely to have much of a future with Real Madrid.
In terms of replacing Aubameyang, however, Luka Jovic could be a good option, with the young Serbian looking terrific at Eintracht Frankfurt last season but struggling at the Bernabeu, suggesting he could perhaps be a realistic candidate for the exit door this summer.
A bit more ambitious, but could we also go for Raphael Varane as an option to strengthen our defence? It might be a bit harder luring the World Cup and multi-Champions League winner to the Emirates, but it’s surely worth a go.
Barcelona
There’s another ideal defensive candidate here in the form of Samuel Umtiti, who has fallen down the pecking order at Barcelona, but who remains a top talent capable of strengthening us in what is clearly an area of major weakness in our squad.
Further forward, we could perhaps also be in with a chance of getting Aubameyang’s old Borussia Dortmund team-mate Ousmane Dembele. The France international never quite looked the right fit for Barca, but has immense potential and could operate in a number of attacking positions for us, helping us replace Aubameyang and taking the pressure off Nicolas Pepe after his slow start in north London.
Inter Milan
Mauro Icardi could be an ideal like-for-like replacement for Aubameyang despite his difficult time at Inter Milan. The Argentine has shone on loan at PSG this season and his future could be up in the air this summer. If Inter want a new striker in the form of Aubameyang, we could surely be in with a chance of getting Icardi in return.
If not, there’s another top defender on Inter’s books in the form of Milan Skriniar, though the Serie A giants might be less willing to part company with him this summer.
PSG
PSG’s squad is a strange combination of players who are unrealistic or just not that tempting, but there could be a few candidates here.
In midfield, Idrissa Gueye and Ander Herrera joined them last summer but have perhaps not had the desired impact, though both would surely improve us in midfield. Both have also previously shone in the Premier League, which is a nice bonus.
In attack, we could perhaps also try for Julian Draxler, who has not had the career that was perhaps expected of him, but who remains a top talent who’d likely thrive in a team where he was the main man a bit more than he’s ever been at the Parc des Princes.