Granit Xhaka has warned the Arsenal hierarchy that it will be "a great loss" for the club if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves.
Aubameyang's contract expires in the summer of 2021 and talks over an extension stalled before the start of the season. It is understood they have not yet been revived.
Arsenal's club captain and top goalscorer, Aubameyang has taken on a talismanic quality for the Gunners this season, scoring 44% of their Premier League goals so far. No player has ever provided a greater proportion of their goals in the competition.
Barcelona and Inter Milan are among the clubs targeting Aubameyang though a transfer deal that works for the suitors, Arsenal and the player himself may be tough to find in light of the impact COVID-19 has had on club finances across Europe.
That will also affect the scale of pay rise Arsenal can offer for Aubameyang, who earns around £180,000-a-week. Xhaka left no-one in any doubt as to how important the striker is for the Gunners.
"If that were to happen, it would, of course, be a great loss for the team and the club," he told SportBild.
"Auba is always dangerous and always good for a goal, and as a guy, he’s also really great.
"He is always positive, optimistic, helpful and very professional."
Aubameyang is not the only Arsenal player who has dominated the headlines in recent weeks with many column inches devoted to Mesut Ozil, as has invariably been the case since his arrival from Real Madrid in 2013.
It was suggested that Ozil's decision not to take up the proposed 12.5% pay cut agreed by 24 of the 27 members of the Arsenal squad might lead to some unhappiness from his team-mates but Xhaka's comments would suggest the World Cup winner is a popular member of the squad.
“I see him here as a very positive, likeable colleague,” Xhaka said.
“He is an extremely down-to-earth guy, always ready to help, and he works hard in training and in my opinion he really enjoys football.
“When Mesut is in form, he is, of course very important to us and can always make the difference. We really don’t have to discuss his footballing skills here.”
Xhaka is among the Arsenal players who were set to return to training on Wednesday in the first step of the Premier League-wide plan to return to games, dubbed Project Restart.
