Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has told Ousmane Dembele to reconsider his decision about his future. The former Arsenal skipper was teammates with Dembele back in 2017, when the duo was a part of Borussia Dortmund.
What has happened?
Everything was looking set for Barcelona to finalize Dembele’s renewal. Barca then signed Ferran Torres and Dembele’s financial demands ramped up, almost like a knee-jerk reaction. Barcelona had offered Dembele a new contract with a pay-cut but the 24-year-old rejected it. Dembele’s entourage demanded annual wages in the range of €40 million per season with a signing-on bonus of €20 million for both player and agent.
The club did not want to disrupt their wage structure for a single-player and especially for Dembele, who has sat out for more than two years of his current contract. The talented winger has also been defended in public by manager Xavi but his reluctance to sign a new contract saw him miss out on the action in the entire month of January, despite having the backing of his boss.
What has changed?
In the dying moments of the winter window Barca did present Dembele with one final offer but it was turned down as well. Having said that, Ousmane is back in the squad and has already put up two impressive performances against Napoli and Valencia in the past week. The club is said to be impressed with the player’s professionalism and have been tipped to present him with another offer in the coming days.
What has been said?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining Barca could potentially alter the course of this saga. Aubameyang already has a good relationship with Dembele, thanks to their time at Dortmund. The former Arsenal skipper has told Dembele to stay at Barcelona. In an interview, Aubameyang has revealed that he has asked Dembele to stay at the club and that anything could happen.
“To tell the truth, I am very happy that he is here and when I arrived I told him: ‘You have to stay, man.'”
When asked about the possibility of Dembele staying: “I don’t know, but the only thing I can say is that everything is possible in life.”
Aubameyang’s exciting start to life at Barcelona
Aubameyang was due to get his first start off the bench against Atleti but a red-card for Barca in the second half meant that it would not be an ideal debut for him. Having said that, against Napoli, Aubameyang was impressive. Against Valencia this past Sunday, he made his first full La Liga debut and bagged a hat-trick at the Mestalla.
Aubameyang may not be the solution to Barca’s final third woes but he brings a plethora of experience and calmness in front of the goal. The former Arsenal striker is a proven goal-scorer and is an asset for Xavi.
Aubameyang will be the key for Barcelona if they are to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next term and in the best-case scenario, mount a serious threat to Real Madrid’s La Liga title charge.
A medical student with an avid interest for the game.