Barcelona are the 5/2 favourites to complete the signing of Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window.
The Gunners announced on Tuesday that Aubameyang had been stripped of the club captaincy and will not be considered for selection against West Ham on Wednesday night.
Aubameyang was dropped for Saturday’s Premier League 3-0 win over Southampton for what manager Mikel Arteta said was a “disciplinary breach”, which reportedly concerned a late return from a trip abroad.
“Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United,” a statement from Arsenal read.
Odds correct at 1335 GMT (14/12/21)
“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed. We are fully focused on tomorrow’s match.”
Aubameyang - who signed for Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 - put pen to paper on a new three-year contract with the North London club in September 2020.
It means that he is contracted until June 2023 but the latest move to take the armband away from him could signal that a move elsewhere is likely in the near future.
In 163 appearances for Arsenal, Aubameyang has scored 92 goals and assisted a further 21. Seven of those goals have come during 15 games in the 2021/22 campaign.
Speaking at Tuesday's press conference, Arteta said: “It is a really unpleasant situation. The players accepted the decision, they know because they have committed to it.
“We want to take our culture and how we want to represent the football club to a different level.”
Barcelona are the clear favourites in the next club markets, with the LaLiga side looking to improve under Xavi as they sit 8th in the table - 18 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid.
Ligue 1 club Lyon are second favourites while West Ham join them in the single figure odds. Newcastle, Juventus and Monaco are viewed as 10/1 shots.
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