The future of Arsenal outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has dominated the January transfer window with his future in North London still unclear.
The Gabonese striker has suffered an alarming fall from grace in North London having been stripped of the club captaincy and ostracised by boss Mikel Arteta and has not played since December 5.
Barcelona have been in negotiations over a loan deal for the 32-year-old but his decision to fly into the Catalan capital on Monday came as a surprise development to both clubs.
Blaugrana boss Xavi Hernandez had sent the club a warning over the transfer by claiming that he would not be a good fit in the side’s attack.
That had not deterred Barca from entering negotiations with the main sticking point in relating to the percentage of the player’s £350k-per-week wages being covered by each club.
Have Your Say! Can Aubameyang revive his career away from Arsenal? Tell us what you think here.
Yet previous comments from Aubameyang suggest that a move to the Camp Nou was never the number one priority in his career.
Indeed, when he was at Borussia Dortmund the striker had revealed that the only club who he really wanted to play for during his career was Barca’s traditional El Clasico rivals Real Madrid.
He even claimed that his desire to join Los Blancos was due to a promise he had made to his grandfather before he passed away that he would play in the Spanish capital.
Aubameyang explained that his family on his mum’s side had been fans of Real Madrid and he had pledged to his grandfather that if he had the opportunity, he would join the club.
Aubameyang previously said : "The only club I would leave Dortmund for are Real Madrid. If they don't come calling, I don't leave.
"My grandfather, the dad of my mum, always wished that I would play in Spain. Two years ago, when he died, I promised him that someday I will play for Real - and I work hard to reach that goal.
"Real Madrid is my main goal but at the moment I like it in Dortmund. If there is a chance to go to Madrid, I will say immediately yes - but at the moment there is no contact."
Aubameyang remains at Arsenal entering into the closing hours of the January transfer window as his future stays unclear.
It does not seem likely that the striker will be able to reconcile his differences with Gunners boss Arteta, but the club are short of attacking options and a return to the fold cannot be ruled out.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are the only other recognised senior strikers in their squad, following the loan exit of Folarin Balogun to Middlesbrough earlier this month.
Balogun is one of five players to exit Arsenal’s first-team squad this month with Ainsley Maitland-Niles joining Roma on loan and Pablo Mari making a temporary move to Udinese, while Callum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac joined Aston Villa and Marseille respectively on free transfers.
Aubameyang has scored 92 goals for Arsenal in 163 appearances for the club since his January 2018 arrival from Borussia Dortmund, including seven goals in 15 outings this campaign.
