Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has moved a step closer to becoming a Barcelona player after Arsenal agreed to terminate their former captain's contract at the Emirates Stadium.
The 32-year-old forward had 18 months remaining on his deal with the Gunners but after a fallout with manager Mikel Arteta, which led to the Gabon international being stripped of the captain's armband in north London, he has now moved on.
Aubameyang was once one of European football's hottest properties when it comes to strikers, with the former Borussia Dortmund attacker proving other the years how clinical he can be in the final third, but it was his off-the-pitch actions that effectively ended his career at Arsenal.
The former Arsenal man had numerous discipline issues during his four-year stay in the capital, with the latest one proving to be the final straw under Arteta.
Just before he agreed a new contract at Arsenal in September 2020, Transfermarkt had Aubameyang valued at a whopping £50.4million.
Speaking just after the contract news was confirmed around a year-and-a-half ago, Arsenal director Edu was understandably delighted with the deal and the Brazilian even spoke about how Aubameyang's actions on and off-the-pitch matched the values set at the north London club, something that has come into question in recent months.
Edu said this: "It's clear Auba loves the club and everything we stand for on and off the pitch. He's obviously a very important of the team so we're all delighted he has committed his future to us. It is a big boost for everyone - fans, team-mates and staff."
As much as Aubameyang's actions perhaps forced Arsenal's hand by terminating his contract - with the club keen to remove his extremely high wages from their bill - the decision to offload him could come back to haunt the Gunners, especially if he goes on to be a success at Barcelona.
Arsenal were unable to bring a new centre-forward to the club over the January transfer window, despite interest in the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak and Jonathan David.
This leaves Arteta with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as natural striker options, with Folarin Balogun recently moving on loan to Middlesbrough.
Gabriel Martinelli is of course an option, but it is not ideal for Arsenal, who would have ideally loved to replace Aubameyang last month.
It could be the difference between securing a top four spot this season and missing out on Champions League football for another campaign.
