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Report: Arsenal keen on signing £150k-a-week South American star

By on August 16, 2021

According to reports in Spain via the Mirror, Arsenal are interested in signing Philippe Coutinho as part of a potential swap deal involving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabon international was surprisingly not involved during Arsenal’s defeat to Brentford on Friday night as Mikel Arteta said he and Alexandre Lacazette both fell ill on the morning of the game.

I, like many others, felt there was more to it as Arteta didn’t sound totally convincing with his reason for our best two strikers being absent and it seemed a little coincidental both Auba and Laca fell ‘ill’ on game day.

Also, reports late last week suggested that Arsenal are prepared to sell Aubameyang if a suitable offer arrives while it’s been an open secret all summer that we’re ready to cash-in on Lacazette – who has just one year left on his contract.

Now, the Mirror are citing a report from the print edition of Sport that claims Barcelona are keen on signing Auba as they look to replace the goals provided by the departed Lionel Messi while Lacazette is also seen as a potential option for the Catalans.

Money is tight at the Nou Camp and the report says any transfer would need to be a swap deal and Sport says Arsenal are interested in taking Coutinho in exchange for Auba. Goalkeeper Neto and centre-back Clement Lenglet are named as other players Arteta likes but it’s a creative midfielder that’s the most pressing issue and Coutinho fits the bill.

pierre-emerick aubameyang arsenal 2020

The South American has really struggled to replicate the kind of form he showed at Liverpool that earned him a big money move to Barcelona. Injuries have played their part but the Mirror says Coutinho has convinced Arsenal’s he’s fully recovered from his latest knee issue and we’re now making a move to sign the Brazilian international.

The Mirror also says Barcelona are willing to pay half of the 29-year-old’s £150,000-a-week wages, such is their desperation to get him off the books. However, there’s no way Barca can afford to pay Auba’s £350,000-a-week salary so Arsenal would also have to cover a large portion of that if any swap deal were to happen.

I used to be a big fan of Coutinho and still think he has the potential to be a top class creative midfielder again if he can stay fit and get some confidence back. However, I think this is the type of deal we should stay well away from.

Taking on an ageing player, who’s been on the decline for years and has had injury issues hasn’t worked out well for us in the past. So Arsenal should be focussing our efforts on buying a younger playmaker before the window closes.