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Barcelona’s interest in Lautaro Martinez has been well-documented over the last year or so. The Argentine is seen as the future of the Blaugrana attack and is seen as the ideal replacement for the depleting Luis Suarez. However, Inter Milan’s resistance has proved to be a significant stumbling block.
The Nerazzurri and Beppe Marotta, the club’s sporting director, are difficult parties to negotiate with. Marotta has demanded that Barcelona pay Lautaro’s release clause — a sum of €111m — or forget the possibility of him joining the Catalans. While Barcelona are attempting to lower their valuation and use players as part of the deal, they fear that the COVID-19 crisis has worsened their financial standing.
Due to this, Barcelona have begun looking for alternatives, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one that is under consideration. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio broke the news of Barcelona’s interest in the Gabon captain earlier this week.
The Arsenal contract rebel’s current deal ends in the summer of 2021 and Arsenal have failed to tie him down for long. Should he continue to reject their offers, Arsenal could realistically cash in on him come summer.
Aubameyang would, in theory, be an excellent signing for the Blaugrana. The 31-year-old has questioned the Gunners’ ambitions, and he could possibly have a shot at silverware with Barcelona. What makes the idea more interesting is that he can expect to be given a respectable amount of game time with Suarez turning 34 come January.
Should Aubameyang move to Barcelona, he would provide them with a variety of options and commendable depth in attack. Here, we take a look at three ways in which Barcelona can line up with the Arsenal skipper.
1. Experience | Messi-Suarez-Aubameyang
One thing that Aubameyang brings to the table apart from goals is versatility. Due to Alexandre Lacazette’s presence at Arsenal, he has been forced to play wide more often than not. In the 2019/20 season alone, the 31-year-old has started as the left-sided attacker on no less than 13 occasions.
Should Suarez be fit and firing, Aubameyang could provide an excellent option to slot in alongside Lionel Messi and the Uruguayan. The South American duo enjoyed bundles of success in a similar set-up with Neymar on the left. However, it hasn’t been the same since the Brazilian’s departure. This isn't to say that Aubameyang and Neymar are similar players, but he could be a superb outlet on the left-hand side.
With Ousmane Dembele’s injury woes and Antoine Griezmann’s incapability to play out wide, Barcelona have struggled in that region. The former, in particular, has struggled miserably at the Nou Camp, having been injured for over 600 days since he moved to Spain.
The French striker does not have the athleticism to beat and get past his full-back, often leaving Barcelona’s attacks narrow and fundamentally incomplete. This shouldn’t be an issue at all for Aubameyang, one of the fastest footballers on the planet. The Arsenal captain is a skilful player on the ball and has shown time and again that he can be amongst the goals from wide areas.
The Messi-Suarez-Aubameyang option has goals written all over it, particularly with Aubameyang’s breathtaking athleticism. Barca could hurt teams by stretching them wide, and the 31-year-old can drift in to score goals — something he has been known to do everywhere he’s played.
2. Dynamic | Messi-Aubameyang-Griezmann
Aubameyang has excelled playing all across the front line. At the end of the day, however, there is an argument for him being at his lethal best playing centrally and positioning himself inside the box. If Barcelona do purchase him, he will provide them with a consistent goalscoring threat.
There are only a handful of players who have managed more goals since the Gabonese arrived in the Premier League. A Golden Boot winner and a serial goalscorer, Aubameyang could prove to be a phenomenal alternative for Barcelona veteran Suarez. Furthermore, with a striker as incredibly rapid and positionally aware as the 31-year-old would be a delight for Messi, one the best passers of the ball in the sport.
With an intelligent Griezmann on the left dropping into space and allowing Jordi Alba to provide width, Barcelona can pick teams apart. If not Griezmann, a fully fit Ousmane Dembele or Ansu Fati could potentially spark an understanding with Aubameyang. It is worth noting that the Frenchman and the Gabonese shared an excellent relationship on the pitch during their time at Borussia Dortmund.
A Messi-Aubameyang-Griezmann trident could significantly boost Barcelona’s goal threat. The amount of service that Aubameyang could receive is massive and could exponentially increase the Arsenal skipper’s goal return.
3. No Messi | Aubameyang-Suarez-Griezmann
Whether the Blaugrana faithful like it or not, there naturally will be situations wherein their talismanic captain is not be available for selection. Be it due to injury concerns such as those Messi experienced this year, rest, or other reasons, Barcelona will be in deep trouble should they not have able deputies.
Should Messi be unavailable for any reason whatsoever, Griezmann is the obvious choice to play Barcelona’s final third creator. The French World Cup-winner could form an excellent partnership with Aubameyang.
The latter has already shown that he is capable of playing alongside more creative forwards with his knack for intricate passages of play and Griezmann excels at playing off another striker. This striker duo could possibly help take on the goalscoring burden in the event of their legendary captain’s absence.
The 29-year-old has also shown his ability to combine with Suarez, paving the way for a possible Aubameyang-Suarez-Griezmann trident. The France international could play a more reserved role creating chances for Suarez and Aubameyang ahead of him.
With Ansu Fati seemingly growing by leaps and bounds with every passing game, the young Spaniard could slot in alongside the Arsenal skipper and Griezmann. His directness and manoeuvrability on the ball will cause defences significant problems, given the intelligence of his two partners in attack as well.
