Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has taken Barcelona by surprise by flying to Catalunya without his proposed move from Arsenal being confirmed, but manager Xavi has already spoken with the forward.
Aubameyang remains intent on a Barca switch, on loan until the end of the season, having not played a minute for Arsenal since December 6.
The deal for the 32-year-old was hanging in the balance, though did not hinge directly on the ability of the La Liga side to find a taker for out-of-favour forward Ousmane Dembele.
Instead it was the Gabon forward's wages which proved a stumbling block, with Aubameyang remaining Arsenal's best-paid player despite being stripped of the captaincy, but reports from the continent suggest Xavi wanted reassurances from the player before committing to a deal.
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According to Sport, Xavi has held talks with Aubameyang over a potential January move.
The Barca boss is believed to have spoken to the player in order to learn about his commitment to the cause first-hand.
The former Borussia Dortmund frontman was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy in December following a disciplinary breach, and was sent home from the Africa Cup of Nations after a positive Covid test and related health concerns, having not played a minute of his country's run to the last 16.
Sport suggests Xavi has approved the arrival of Aubameyang as long as Barca are unable to clinch a deal for Alvaro Morata, though the Arsenal man's wages are a stumbling block which looks to have thwarted their pursuit.
The Athletic reported on deadline day that Aubameyang was flying home from Barcelona without a deal being agreed, with the ball in Barca's court to find the cash or miss out.
Morata is a player who has also interested Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta reportedly making a last-ditch play for the Juventus striker after missing out to Juve in the race for Dusan Vlahovic.
The Spaniard has scored 16 goals in 53 Serie A games since rejoining the Italian side on loan from Atletico Madrid, the same number he managed in 47 Premier League appearances as a Chelsea player.
Arsenal have also been keeping their eye on two La Liga goalscorers, Espanyol's Raul de Tomas and Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad, though time is running out to clinch a deal.
Read more: Xavi sent Aubameyang warning before Barcelona transfer broke down
Barcelona made two senior signings before the transfer window opened, re-signing Dani Alves and spending big to bring in Ferran Torres from Manchester City.
They have also agreed a loan deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers to bring La Masia graduate Adama Traore back to Camp Nou, while Yusuf Demir returned to Rapid Wien after his own loan spell and Philippe Coutinho and Alex Collado both left on loan.
Barcelona currently sit fifth in La Liga, a point outside the Champions League places, with reigning champions Atletico Madrid just above them in the battle for a top-four finish.
