Barca still have Aubameyang hope - Laporta
Robin Bairner
- 31 Jan 2022 18:39 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona still hold out hope of signing Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before the transfer deadline, president Joan Laporta has said.
Widespread reports have indicated that Barcelona will be able to get a deal for the striker over the line before the window closes in Spain at midnight local time.
It had been suggested that talks between the clubs had broken down over issues relating Aubameyang's wages. Barcelona need to find a solution that allows them to register the forward within their allocated wage structure given to them by La Liga.
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It is an issue that they have constantly had to juggle when making signings this season and has resulted in several senior players taking wage cuts or deferring money they are owed to a later point.
Laporta, meanwhile, remains bullish over the possibility of signing Aubameyang, suggesting that the deal to sign the Arsenal striker on loan remains possible.
“We would like to incorporate Aubameyang. It's very complicated but there is hope," he is quoted as having said by Mundo Deportivo.
"Aubameyang is trying to solve his issues with Arsenal and we're all trying to create the appropriate conditions for a move to take place."
Ousmane Dembele transfer latest
Barcelona's other pressing issue late in the January transfer market surrounds winger Ousmane Dembele, whose departure is considered to be necessary to allow Aubameyang to be added to the wage bill.
PSG were the club likeliest to make a move for the winger, but any transfer has broken down over Financial Fair Play pressure.
Dembele was told to find a new club before the end of the January window after failing to agree a new contract, sending him towards free agency this summer.
Laporta accepts this might not be possible.
"We're looking for the best solution for the player and Barca," he said.
"There are hours left. Both Dembele and Aubameyang are very complicated."
So Aubameyang's move to Barcelona from Arsenal is set to go down to the wire, with Laporta hinting that it does not depend on Dembele's future.
