Arsenal captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that Barcelona was among the clubs that wanted to sign him before signing a contract extension at the Emirate club.
The striker put to bed all transfer speculation surrounding him after penning a new two-year deal worth £250,000-a-week with further performance-related bonuses on top and represents a significant improvement on his £180,000-a-week wage.
Arsenal coach, Mikel Arteta had been confident that the Gabon striker will sign a new deal having discussed with him. He was professional throughout the negotiation as he continued to do well for the club.
Aubameyang did the talking on the pitch
Aubameyang, who did the talking on the field of play can be credited for single-handedly qualifying Arsenal for the Europa League courtesy of his goals in the semi-final and the final of the English FA Cup.
As if that was not enough, he also opened his season account in the Community Shield which Arsenal later won by penalties. Aubameyang was the last kick taker that sealed the trophy for the North London club.
He further scored in the opening game of the Premier League season against Fulham to show that his mind is still with the Gunners.
Speaking a few days after signing the new contract, he said he rejected multiple offers to leave Arsenal. According to him, he was convinced to stay by manager Mikel Arteta and his relationship with the club’s supporters.
Due to his incredible performance, Aubameyang had several offers; top of them was from Barcelona. The Catalan giant had recently suffered an 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich, leading to some changes in the management and the sales of some players in the process. One of such was Luis Suarez, who now plies his trade with Athletico Madrid. Others who have left include Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic.
“There were several offers, notably from Barça, but also other clubs.
“My priority was to stay for two reasons: the first is the coach, Mikel Arteta because we spoke a fair amount during the ‘lockdown’ as they say here, we were at home and spoke several times and he convinced me, notably in terms of the project.
“And of course, secondly, is the love that I receive from the fans and people at the club. Since I have been here I have been treated as one of their own, and as I am one of their own, I am going to stay here, it is as simple as that,” The 31-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 he told Canal+.
