Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has laid the blame of his contract situation at the feet of the club’s board, asking them to ‘do their job’ to ensure he remains in north London.
The attacker, who has 17 goals and a single assist in 26 Premier League appearances this season, is out of contract next June, meaning he will be free to start discussing terms with other clubs at the turn of the year.
A likelier scenario is that Arsenal are forced to sell him this summer if they cannot agree a new contract for him, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain two of the clubs credited with an interest in the 30-year-old.
Aubameyang, meanwhile, says that there has been little progress towards signing fresh terms with the Emirates side – and he has pinned the blame firmly on the club.
‘I have not received a proposal recently, but we have had discussions with the club for quite a few months,’ he told TF1’s Telefoot program. ‘The board know very well why nothing has happened so far. They have the key. It’s up to them to do their job and then we’ll see how it goes.
‘It’s a turning point in my career and, to be frank with everyone, this will be a very difficult decision to make. But beware, I haven’t made my choice yet. It will be perhaps the most important decision of my career.’
Aubameyang has been at Arsenal since January 2018 and has a been a prolific marksman for the club since, netting 49 goals in only 75 Premier League appearances. In total the Gabon international has scored 61 times in 97 outings.
Previously, he was with Borussia Dortmund, where he enjoyed prodigious success in front of goal, scoring 98 times in 144 Bundesliga matches, while the early part of his career was mostly spent in France, with Dijon, Lille, Monaco and Saint-Etienne.
He will expect to take part in the Gunners’ Wednesday fixture against Manchester City, which will be their first since the coronavirus pandemic brought play to a halt in England in the middle of March.