EPL TRANSFER NEWS: Aubameyang Officially Joins Barcelona From Arsenal On #DeadlineDay—The Spanish giant, Barcelona have officially wrapped up the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer, after the striker cancelled his Arsenal contract on deadline day.
It is understood that the move will be formally announced on social media on Tuesday morning, with Aubameyang having penned an 18-month deal.
As he was classed as a free agent, there was no rush to announce the switch.
Indeed, Barcelona are expected to unveil him at 9.30am on Tuesday.
Aubameyang touched down in Spain on Monday morning, although confusion initially broke out with no agreement reached between both clubs.
The ace has family based in the region, but landed to the surprise of all parties. However, his arrival left him well-placed to have his medical later in the day.
The departure brings an end to his career at the Emirates, four years ago to the day since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund.
Aubameyang Arsenal’s £350,000-per-week contract was due to expire next summer, with the remaining time worth around £27million.
Arsenal were willing to let their former captain go on a free due to the saving they would make in wages.
Having agreed a settlement as part of the deal, Arsenal anticipate they will save around £20m, it is understood.
After being frozen out at Arsenal by manager Mikel Arteta, there was optimism on Sunday that Aubameyang would eventually find an escape route.
Aubameyang was filmed arriving in Barcelona in order to be in the city and ready to act if negotiations accelerated towards a successful conclusion.
Arsenal had no issue with that, with the club understanding the circumstances. Aubameyang has continued to conduct himself professionally while in exile, too.
However, his hopes of sealing a move fluctuated as the day unfolded.
At one stage it was considered off and Arsenal were preparing for the prospect of having to patch things up and reintegrate Aubameyang who was stripped of the captaincy last month, ordered to train alone and left out of their camp in Dubai.
The deal appeared to have collapsed as the two sides failed to reach a compromise over how to split Aubameyang’s wages, with Barcelona struggling to produce an amount that satisfied Arsenal and also complied with their own financial restrictions.
However, talks were eventually revived and they closed in on common ground as the 11pm deadline approached.
Barcelona were long-term admirers of Aubameyang and their interest, along with that of other major European clubs, was proof that the 32 year-old’s reputation as an elite level scorer remains.
He scored 92 goals in 163 games for Arsenal, having played as a winger for a significant chunk of his Gunners career, and was joint Premier League golden boot winner in 2019 and runner-up the following year.
Allowing Aubameyang to leave without signing a replacement represents a huge gamble for Arteta and Arsenal and leaves them down to just two strikers – Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah – who are both out of contract at the end of the season.
