Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has constantly been linked with a move away from the club in a development that could be devastating for the club but the Gunners think they have a way to stop that from happening.

The global coronavirus pandemic has affected the purses of almost all the clubs in the world and with Arsenal not being exempted.

The development means clubs may struggle to get signings over following the financial crunch and losing your best player at a time like this would be completely disastrous, a situation Arsenal faces with Aubameyang.

However, suits at the North London club think they have a way to mitigate that from happening.

The Gunners ‘hope their strong relationship with Aubameyang’s agent father will persuade him to sign a new contract.’

The 30-year-old striker, who has scored 20 goals for the Gunners this season, will be able to leave for nothing next summer.

There has yet to be a breakthrough in extending Aubameyang’s current deal beyond 2021 but Arsenal remain optimistic.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the club has good lines of communication with Aubameyang’s father and intermediary Pierre-Francois and retain hope he will stay.

The Gabon international, who won the Premier League Golden Boot last season, has been linked with Real Madrid and Barcelona in recent months.

It means Arsenal must decide whether to cash in this summer or risk losing him for nothing in another 12 months’ time.

With the Covid-19 crisis affecting Arsenal’s finances like every club globally, they are prioritising extending Aubameyang’s deal instead of buying a new striker this summer.

Pierre-Francois’s name was on the Football Association paperwork when his son signed for Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in a £56million deal in 2018.

Aubameyang Snr was also a striker who played 80 times for his country Gabon and also for French clubs Le Havre, Toulouse, Nice and Rouen.

In total, Pierre-Emerick has scored 61 times in 97 matches over the course of his time at the Emirates Stadium and will be key to their hopes of qualifying for Europe when the season resumes.

The London club currently sit ninth in the standings, eight points behind Chelsea in fourth spot.

However, they are five points off Manchester United in fifth with a game in hand and that may be enough to qualify for Europe’s top competition if Manchester City are banned. Their appeal against the ruling they broke FFP rules is being held this week.

SOURCE:- fcnaija