Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is yet to sign his new contract, but he is "staying positive" on the prospect of him doing so.
It was expected an announcement would have been made over the last fortnight that the 31-year-old, who scored both goals in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Chelsea, had agreed fresh terms at Emirates Stadium.
But, with just one year remaining on his current deal, Arteta says nothing is yet set in stone.
“Well, I keep being positive [about Aubameyang's contract],” said Arteta ahead of Saturday’s Community Shield meeting with Premier League champions Liverpool.
“We have some really good talks with him and his agent and I am pretty confident we will find an agreement soon. That’s my feeling.”
Aubameyang has scored 70 goals in 109 appearances since joining Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for £56m in January 2019.
He found the net on 29 occasions last term, playing a crucial part in the Gunners' turnaround following Arteta's arrival as head coach in December.
⚽️🔥 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 70 Arsenal goals since making his debut in February 2018 - that's more than any other Premier League player in that time.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) August 1, 2020
🏆 Finally he gets a trophy his Gunners career deserves. #AFC #FACup @Aubameyang7 pic.twitter.com/crjbCotly3
Arteta tight-lipped on Gabriel
The Arsenal boss would offer only a brief update when it came to the club’s quest to sign Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
The 22-year-old is understood to have undergone a medical in London earlier in the week – but Arteta refused to confirm the status of the deal.
“Regarding Gabriel we can’t announce anything yet, the deal is not finalised,” he added.
“You all know that he is a player that we follow for a long time and hopefully we can get it done.
“Sometimes that in the last final stages is not as easy as it looks, but again we are pretty positive that we can do it. We are trying to finalise the deal, that’s what I can tell you at the moment.”
Fresh start for Ozil and Guendouzi
Arteta also said that his ostracised players will start the new season with a clean slate.
Matteo Guendouzi did not play in the final 11 games of the previous campaign after an altercation with Brighton striker Neal Maupay following defeat at the AMEX in their second match of the restart.
The midfielder ended the campaign training away from the senior squad, while the club’s highest-paid player Mesut Ozil did not kick a single ball when football resumed.
Ozil has stressed in a recent interview that he intends to remain at Arsenal despite his lack of game-time and, despite being linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium, Guendouzi also appears set for a fresh start.
“I have been really clear that everybody starts from zero,” said Arteta.
“All the time in football, what you did two weeks ago or two years ago doesn’t matter. It is what you are able to contribute to the team now so everybody is going to have the same opportunities.
“They have to show with their performance and attitude that they are better than their team-mates or they are somehow contributing to what we want to achieve this season.”
Guendouzi is unlikely to be considered for the Community Shield having recently returned from France, where a mandatory 14-day quarantine period remains in place for anyone entering the UK.
Arsenal in Ceballos talks
Another option in midfield next season could yet be Dani Ceballos after Arteta admitted he was keen to bring the Real Madrid player back for another season-long loan.
“We have had some talks,” he said. “Dani knows really well what I think about him – he was pretty clear with me as well that his intention was to remain with us.
“But obviously Real Madrid are involved and we don’t know yet what they want to to do with the player.”
