Arsenal are looking to use next month’s Africa Cup of Nations as a period to reset ties with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The star striker is getting smart after he was stripped of the captaincy for breach of club discipline.
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But Arsenal are not planning to sell him in January and weaken their squad for the crucial second half of the season.
Aubameyang has trained alone since returning late from a trip to France to visit his mother, which was approved by the club.
And he is unlikely to be involved in his last two love bouts of the year against Norwich and Wolves before flying to Cameroon with the Gabon squad.
The stand-off has suggested that Arsenal will sell their top scorer, who was worth £60m when he was signed from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.
Barcelona and Juventus have been credited with an interest, although both will struggle to meet Aubameyang’s original £250,000-a-week salary, with various bonuses on top of it making it to £350,000-a-week can.
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And the fact that he will turn 33 at the end of the season means his resale value is nowhere near the fee Arsenal paid for him.
But Arteta has no intention of letting the player go.
Arsenal are fourth on the table and with a real chance of securing Champions League qualification for the first time since 2017, Arteta want all hands on deck for the final push.
Allowing Aubameyang (below) to go without securing another striker would leave him low in the event of an injury to Alexandre Lacazette.
The situation is further complicated as Lacazette and Eddie Neketia are in the final few months of their contracts.
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Aubameyang has 18 months left on the lucrative deal in September last year and remains a key member of the squad despite his spell on mischievous moves.
Arteta, who accused the player of failing to demonstrate “commitment and passion” to play for the club, believes he has kept his word and will return to Auba when his AFCON commitments are met. ready to return.
Whether the player is so eager to let go of the past is not certain.
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