After holding up for months, Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly set for an extended stay at the Emirates. The Gabon striker will ink a new deal with the Gunners that will see playing for three more seasons on Arsenal shirt and the signing is said to be "imminent."
Aubameyang's existing contract with Arsenal will end next summer and his refusal to sign a new deal in the past months fueled speculations of a move away from the Premier League. There were suggestions the club marksman was looking to compete for the Champions League and toyed with the idea of joining up with Real Madrid.
However, Metro said the Gabon international has already agreed to keep playing for his present club and will finalize the agreed deal in the days to come. The report cited the story first published by The Athletic.
The new contract is Aubameyang's reward for his impressive run in form since transferring from Bundesliga in January 2018. Since then, the 31-year-old proved his goalscoring prowess by scoring 71 goals in 110 games.
Starting next season, Arsenal will be paying their star player a weekly wage of £250,000, which will make him the second-most-expensive player on the roster, with Mesut Ozil on top of the chain.
It is understood that the deal was facilitated by Raul Sanllehi before his departure as Arsenal's football director but Aubameyang is believed to have signed up for an extension because of Arteta. The Gunners head coach has been vocal about his admiration of his side's top scorer.
In a recent statement, the Spaniard made clear that his plan for Arsenal revolves around Aubameyang and underscored that the forward is a huge part of the club's future.
"He knows what I think about him, I want to build a squad around him," Arteta was reported as saying.
Meanwhile, Arsenal released a club update and confirmed that Arteta is officially the first-team manager of the Premier League giants. The switch in status is in recognition of the club boss' "phenomenal job" that started when he took over from Unai Emery in late 2019.
Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said the move will make Arteta as the point man for the Gunners in the years to come.
"He has lifted the spirits and lifted the energy here at London Colney and with Arsenal fans all across the world. He is doing an absolutely phenomenal job," Goal reported that Arsenal CEO as saying.
With Arteta at the helm, the Gunners finished the campaign last season at No. 8 of the Premier League table but he showed proof that is a winner. The Spaniard steered the club to win two titles - the FA Cup against Chelsea and the Community Shield versus Liverpool - as indicators that more trophy wins can be expected under his watch.
