Arsenal rejected PSG's January swap deal offer involving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Reports
Arsenal reportedly rejected a January swap deal proposed by PSG which would have seen Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join the Ligue 1 side. Aubemyang, 32, did end up departing Arsenal on deadline day and joined Barcelona on a free transfer.
The striker had been at loggerheads with the north London club following off-field issues. Manager Mikel Arteta was keen to cut ties with the former Arsenal captain and the club were not short of suitors.
The Athletic reports one of those clubs was PSG, who had offered to sign the Gabonese striker in a swap deal. They claim the Paris-based side were willing to offer Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi in exchange for the former Borussia Dortmund striker.
Arsenal 'turned down' the opportunity to sign Mauro Icardi as part of a swap deal with Paris Saint-Germain trib.al/r8LiClF
Icardi, 28, has been on the fringes of first-team football at the Ligue 1 leaders since joining the club from Inter Milan in 2019. The striker, similarly to Aubemyang, has had his fair share of personal issues which have disrupted his career at times.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi are Pochettino's preferred front three and thus Icardi rarely gets a look-in, having recorded just ten starts for the Parisians in Ligue 1 this season.
Would PSG's Icardi have suited Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta's decision to reject the proposal from the Parisians might confuse some Arsenal fans. The club are in need of attacking reinforcements following Aubemyang's departure, especially with their current crop of strikers not possessing the goalscoring talents required to take the team forward.
Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah have scored a mere seven Premier League goals between them this term.
๐ธ - BIG chance wasted by Lacazette! https://t.co/J1YaT9SSx6
Icardi, despite his usual omissions from first-team action for the Parisians, has a credible scoring record, having recorded 23 goals in 59 Ligue appearances. His experience alongside his goalscoring acumen would have been beneficial to a Gunners side in need of goals.
Perhaps Arteta was hesitant over Icardi's track record of disrupting teams behind the scenes. His departure from Inter Milan was fuelled by some harsh words he used for the club's fans in his 2016 autobiography 'Sempre Avanti'. Nerazzurri fans reacted by hoisting banners around Milan demanding he leave the club.
Whether Icardi's behavior was a factor behind Arteta's resistance to PSG's offer is unclear but his talent would have helped the side as they look to hold down a place in the EPL top four.