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The situation with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is coming to a head very quickly. Auba was suspended, for disciplinary reasons, from the Dortmund squad that drew 0-0 with Wolfsburg on Sunday. He reportedly missed a team meeting.
BVB Sporting Director Michael Zorc spoke after the match about Aubameyang’s behavior saying, “at some point you can’t tolerate it anymore.”
All this talk has sparked rumors that the 29-year-old striker will be sold this January. There were reports claiming that Arsenal had made a bid for him, but Kicker is saying otherwise. Here’s a translation of their latest report:
But is Aubameyang still at BVB for so long? An offer for the striker, who is courted by Chinese clubs, but would rather switch to a top league, had not arrived in Dortmund until the afternoon. Not even from Premier League club Arsenal, who would meet Aubameyang’s criteria and who, with the upcoming sale of Alexis Sanchez, will soon have an urgent need in hand. The recent behavior of the Gabonese, who skipped an important team meeting on Saturday, in which it was all about the team spirit, let only one conclusion: Aubameyang prepares his immediate departure.
A move to Arsenal would interest Aubameyang, but it’s still unclear if they’re even interested in him. Yes, the Gunners will almost certainly be selling Alexis Sanchez very soon, but they just paid big money to sign a striker this past summer when they bought Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for £46.5 million. The struggling side, currently based in North London, have also been heavily linked with a January move for Bordeaux starlet Malcom.
The possibility of PEA moving to China has been there for a while. A transfer apparently almost happened last summer, but that seems like an unrealistic destination now. The wages available in China would be insane, but it’s doubtful that a socialite like Aubameyang would enjoy the obscurity that comes with leaving Europe to play in the Chinese Super League.
And of course there is the possibility that Auba stays at Dortmund. Management is definitely annoyed with him, but they have been able to smooth things over in the past after similar disturbances. He clearly has professionalism issues, but he’s not a locker room cancer. He still gets along quite well with the rest of the squad.
Selling him in January is a risky move. No one in Peter Stöger’s squad can replace him, and there aren’t many quality strikers who would be available this window anyway.
One thing is for certain, there will be quite a few more twists and turns to this saga before it is concluded.