Report: Club ‘willing’ to offer £200k-a-week ace for Aubameyang; Arsenal wanted him in 2019

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FC Barcelona are reportedly keen on offering Philippe Coutinho to Arsenal in return for club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

According to Sky Sports News, the Catalan giants are eager to sign the Gabon international. However, their perilous financial state means that Barcelona cannot offer transfer fees for players they are interested in.

There is more to the story, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that Aubameyang is not a target for Barcelona. The La Liga side are focused on selling players.

With a majority of their players also taking up huge wages, trying to move them on has been a struggle this window. So much so that Lionel Messi left the club due to Barcelona’s enormous wage bill.

Indeed, Coutinho himself earns £200,000-a-week according to the Daily Mail. And the former Liverpool star is just one of many players Barcelona are eager to sell this window.

Arsenal were once interested in Coutinho

And they have identified Aubameyang as a player who could come in as leverage.

Moreover, Arsenal were once eager on signing Coutinho in the past. The playmaker was rumoured with a move to the north London side in the final days of the 2019 summer transfer window according to the Guardian.

However, the Gunners never made a move for the Brazilian international. With David Luiz and Kieran Tierney joining instead of Coutinho, who has struggled immensely since his move to Barcelona.

With two weeks of the window left to go, it could be an unpredictable few days for Arsenal and Barcelona, who both need to conduct more business.

However, a deal between the two clubs for Aubameyang and Coutinho seems unlikely given the finances involved.