Why Real Madrid should go all out for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

According to a report from France Football (h/t Metro), La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid have made an initial enquiry to try and sign Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer.

Aubameyang has been a prolific goalscorer for Arsenal since signing for the club in January 2018. The £200k-a-week Gabonese centre-forward was appointed as the club captain earlier in the season and is a vital part of the team under Mikel Arteta.

However, Aubameyang’s future at the Emirates has become a subject of speculation, with his contract set to expire in 2021 (h/t Metro). With the Gunners facing the prospect of missing out on Champions League football next season, their star striker has been linked with an exit, with Real Madrid now entering the fray to sign him up (h/t Metro).

Los Blancos have had an inconsistent campaign so far. They are still very much in contention to lift the La Liga title whenever the season resumes, sitting just two points below rivals Barcelona. However, Zinedine Zidane’s side have had problems in the attacking department due to their over-reliance on Karim Benzema for goals.

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, the Merengues have been looking up to the Frenchman to provide the goods and for most parts, Benzema has delivered as well. The 32-year-old has scored 14 goals in 26 La Liga games this season, but only two have come in his last 11 appearances, which has been a problem for Real Madrid.

Luka Jovic was signed last summer in order to supplement Benzema but the Serbian international has failed to live up to the expectations. The 22-year-old has netted just 2 goals in 15 league matches so far. Moreover, the fact that marquee signing Eden Hazard has been sidelined for a majority of the season has hurt the Spanish outfit.

So bringing in attacking reinforcements in the summer should be a priority for Zidane, more so with there being a possibility that Jovic could be offloaded before next season kicks off (h/t Metro).

To that end, Aubameyang would be a viable option for Real Madrid. He is not much younger than Benzema and wouldn’t be a long-term solution for the club by any means but the 30-year-old Gabonese star is a proven goalscorer in Europe and is in the form of his life.

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Having won the Premier League Golden Boot last season, Aubameyang has already netted 20 goals in 32 games across all competitions this term.

Verdict

Real Madrid are in need of more attacking strength in order to address their over-reliance on Benzema. While Aubameyang might not prove to be a long-term solution, the Gabonese, at 30, should still be able to perform at this level for at least another three years.

This would allow Real Madrid to slowly phase Benzema out, who is two years older than Auba and put in place a perfect succession plan.

Moreover, the prospect of two prolific goalscorers in Aubameyang and Benzema leading the line, with Eden Hazard in tow would turn Real Madrid’s attacking unit into a fearsome one. And hence, the Merengues should go all out to land the Arsenal captain in the summer.