Barcelona want to increase their interest in Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and will offer midfielder Philippe Coutinho in exchange.
Coach Ronald Koeman is looking for a new striker this summer after losing Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, and a new report showed that both Aubameyang and teammate Alexandre Lacazette have appeared on his radar.
Barcelona wants to land Aubameyang / Visionhaus / Getty Images
According to Sky Sports News, it is Aubameyang who is at the top of the wish list and club officials are investigating ways to get him in without doing too much on their finances. President Joan Laporta recently confirmed that the club ends up in a debt of 1.35 billion euros, so expensive transfers are not relevant.
To sign Aubameyang, it has to be a swap deal, and that’s where Coutinho comes in. Barcelona want to get rid of the Brazilian and hope that Arsenal would take him in exchange for Aubameyang, given that they are looking for a new number ten this summer.
90min understands that Arsenal are more than happy to listen to offers for both Aubameyang and Lacazette. The pair are both on the wrong side of 30, taking home huge salaries and failing to justify it on the pitch, so the Gunners will entertain any suggestions that get there.
However, it is unlikely that they are interested in Coutinho – another player approaching 30 – as sources have confirmed for 90 minutes that Arsenal are growing confident of hitting a deal to get Real Madrid’s Martin Odegaard back to the club.
Odegaard is worried about the Santiago Bernabeu and would like to return to Arsenal, and Norwegian representatives have contacted the Gunners to discuss the possibility of getting him back.
When it comes to the pursuit of Aubameyang, Barcelona may need to offer another player in exchange. They have plenty of wingers, such as Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic and Neto, but whether Arsenal would be interested in taking on any of them is another matter.
Barcelona hopes to be able to download Coutinho / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
Barcelona may well need to focus on another striker. It is noted that they tried to sign Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham earlier in the window, but they were forced to withdraw from talks about the Blues’ refusal to move from their price of 40 million pounds.
PSG’s Mauro Icardi has been linked with a move to Camp Nou, but a swap deal would be Barcelona’s only way to make it happen.
