Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta can raise funds to offer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a new deal by offloading a couple of players.
That's the view of former Gunners star Charlie Nicholas, who says that giving Aubameyang "what he wants" should be the club's main aim at the moment, as the Gabonese goalscorer's contract runs out in the summer of 2021.
"There are differing ways of doing this, but more than anything, I would want Arsenal to renew Aubameyang’s contract for three or four years, Nicholas wrote in his Sporting Life column.
"Even if Arsenal are average as of next year, they cannot decline much more, it has reached its bottom.
"Arteta wants five or six out and he wants that money to rebuild. If nothing more is in the pot, sell to rebuild. If you are doing that as a financial package, you are not buying to replace Aubameyang.
"You can get rid of Shkodran Mustafi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has been out on loan.
"This will all help to filter through, so there are easy things to do. Give him what he wants, get rid of dead wood, you have the kids, and it would not cost £200m to challenge for the top four once more."
Mkhitaryan has spent the majority of this season with Roma in Serie A, while Mustafi has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal.
Despite his plan though, Nicholas feels Aubameyang will depart in the summer.
"My preference would be to keep him but I have a feeling Arsenal will not keep him," he said.
If [Mesut] Ozil stays, I feel they will sell him, and they cannot afford another Aaron Ramsey saga.
"I could accept if they get good money for him, as I am not convinced he will sign, and Arsenal can then rebuild in the process. Arsenal would miss his goals, but I do not think they would miss him greatly as an individual player."
