Good morning, Arsenal fans. Here are your morning headlines for Saturday, August 1.
Aubameyang wanted Chelsea switch
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was in talks over a move to Chelsea in January but the deal collapsed over his wage demands, report the Daily Mail.
The Gabon striker is entering the final 12 months of his contract in north London and the report claims he tried to force through a move to Stamford Bridge earlier this season.
The 31-year-old has scored 27 goals for the Gunners this term and would have been a good fit at the time for the Blues, who have been short on attacking options this season.
However, Aubameyang’s demands would have made him the highest-paid player in Chelsea’s history, something which the Blues were not prepared to sanction.
Why Ozil will miss FA Cup final
Mesut Ozil will not be on the pitch or in the stands for today’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea.
As reported by football.london, the German international was allowed to travel to Turkey by the club’s hierarchy this week and is not in London for the showpiece event.
Other unavailable players such as Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Martinelli will be cheering their teammates on from the stands but Ozil has decided to leave the country.
Arsenal’s highest earner has not played a minute of football post-lockdown and has not featured in a matchday squad since the 2-0 win at Southampton on June 25.
Betis join Arsenal in Ceballos chase
Real Betis have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Dani Ceballos permanently from Real Madrid this summer.
The midfielder left the Seville-based club in 2017 to join Madrid but appears to be on the market again this summer, with the club’s new sporting director Antonio Cordon expressing his admiration for the midfielder.
The Spaniard’s season-long loan deal at Arsenal expires this month and his future remains unclear, with it likely Madrid will allow a permanent sale.
"We all know how good a player Ceballos is, we know his past and he's a very interesting player,” Cordon told Spanish radio station Onda Cero, as cited by The Sun.
"Going forward, we're going to have a look at our staff, our squad and how we're going to play. The boss [Pellegrini] has a lot of ideas."
"He (Ceballos) has already been here and no one will forget his quality and attributes. He's a player any team would be interested in."
