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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lands in Barcelona but hurdles to overcome before Arsenal exit

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has touched down in Catalonia as the 32-year-old takes a step closer to sealing his loan switch to FC Barcelona from Arsenal.

The Gabon international has not been seen in a Gunners shirt since early December after manager Mikel Arteta stripped him of the club captaincy and has forced him to train alone following his latest disciplinary breach.

As a result, Aubameyang is desperate to end his time at the Emirates, so much so that he is reportedly willing to forgo the astronomical wages he finds himself on in north London.

Following his FA Cup heroics of 2020, Aubameyang was rewarded with a mega-money contract that sees him take home £350,000 per-week while at Arsenal - money that Barcelona simply cannot afford to offer him due to their own precarious financial situation.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Aubameyang be a successful signing for Barcelona? Comment below

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arrived at Barcelona airport (Twitter@plusbarca)

However, Aubameyang is expected to take a drastic pay-cut in a bid to force through the move to Xavi's side and ensure he plays regularly for the second half of the season.

Barcelona have been aware of Aubameyang's desire to leave all window, but have instead prioritised the arrivals of Ferran Torres and Adama Traore before diverting their attention towards Arsenal's striker.

There were initial fears from Barcelona's end that any deal for Aubameyang may fall through given they would have to shift Ousmane Dembele off of the wage bill first.

Fortunately from a Barcelona perspective, that is now no longer the case as Aubameyang's willingness to reduce his wage demands has ensured there is space for the pair of former Borussia Dortmund stars.

For a deal that has thrown up a number of complications, Aubameyang is incredibly confident he will don the famous red and blue strip very soon and was spotted signing Barcelona shirts as he left the airport.

His switch to Barcelona represents a player that still wants to test himself at the highest level, especially as Aubameyang was the subject of interest from Saudi duo Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, both of whom were willing to cover the entirety of his salary.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is likely to have played his last game for Arsenal (PA)

The decision to sanction his departure from an Arsenal perspective has thrown up question marks from their own fans as the Gunners now have just two recognised strikers at the club.

Both of those two in Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are nearing the end of their own contracts and could both leave the club for nothing at the end of the current campaign.

Arsenal have spent the entire window pursuing the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, who has since joined Juventus and Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak but are staring down the barrel of ending the month empty-handed.

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