Arsenal line up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Alexis Sanchez replacement if Malcom bid fails
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on Arsenal’s list of potential replacements for Alexis Sanchez should the Gunners allow the Chilean to join Manchester City, according to reports.
Sanchez is out of contract in the summer when he can leave the Emirates for nothing, and Arsene Wenger looks increasingly likely to cash in on the former Barcelona man now despite previously being adamant he would not be sold.
Arsenal’s preferred choice to replace Sanchez is Bordeaux’s Brazilian sensation Malcom, but Gianluca Di Marzio is now reporting that Aubameyang is also on their radar.
The Gunners are believed to have scheduled a meeting to discuss a potential £44 million deal for Malcom, who new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat tried to sign for Borussia Dortmund last summer.
But realistically, a deal for Malcom would be easier to tie up in the summer, so Arsenal have drawn up a list of alternatives that includes Aubameyang.
The Gabon international was actually signed from Saint-Etienne by Mislintat in 2013, and has scored 98 goals in 143 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund since then.
Aubameyang has been heavily linked with a £63.5m transfer to China, though the deal is not yet closed and the striker is reluctant to move to the Far East – he even rejected a contract offer worth £26m a year after tax last summer.
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Dortmund’s willingness to do a deal at around £63.5m has alerted a host of clubs, with Liverpool and Real Madrid also thought to be considering hijacking Aubameyang’s potential move to China.
And now Arsenal have joined them, though any move for last season’s Bundesliga golden boot winner would be dependent on the outcome of their talks with Malcom.
If they cannot reach an agreement with Bordeaux, their interest in Aubameyang is likely to ramp up even further despite the bigger transfer fee involved and increased competition from Chinese clubs.
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