What’s the story?
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly agreed on a €70m fee for Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang according to reports in France. The Gabon international will receive an £8.75m annual salary and is expected to get a £5m signing on fee. The striker is now on the verge of following former manager Thomas Tuchel’s footsteps of parting ways with the club.
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Aubameyang finished the season as the highest scorer in the Bundesliga with 31 goals in 32 games which established him as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe this season. PSG, on the other hand, have are coming off a difficult season as they lost out to Monaco in Ligue 1.
However, Monaco’s incapability to possibly hold on to their best players for the coming season will provoke PSG to fund themselves a little more and acquire the services of Aubameyang in a bid to recover the Ligue 1 championship.
PSG have also found it difficult to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic ever since his departure to Manchester United on a free transfer and it looks like Aubameyang fits perfectly to the bill. The 27-year-old has been a long-term target for the top clubs around Europe but it seems like he has decided where his future lies after reports have emerged that he has purchased a new house in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine in Paris
The heart of the matter
The news will come as a shock to the Borussia Dortmund faithful after they had already seen their manager part ways with the club just a little over 24 hours ago, despite winning the DFB Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, the club’s first trophy in five years. However, they might just be used to it by now after losing the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan in the last few seasons.
Aubameyang has scored 120 goals in 189 matches during his four-year stint with the club and will undoubtedly add to PSG’s ambitions not only domestically but in Europe too. The striker also managed to score seven goals in eight appearances in Dortmund’s Champions League campaign and his experience will play a huge role in big games.
What’s next?
As mentioned above, Monaco have had a great season but it will be interesting to see if they can hold on to their current set of players and mount a serious challenge for the title next season. The signing of Aubameyang can make a huge difference to PSG’s aspirations as he is one of the most sought after attacking players in the world at the moment.
Author’s take
Although further details of the deal are yet to be revealed, this is a signing that makes a lot of sense especially because PSG need someone who can give them goals at the top. The former Ligue 1 champions also have enough in their kitty to afford almost anything!
Also read: Reports: Real Madrid willing to sell superstar to fund £114m World Record move
