Arsenal finally confirm Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has quit club to complete Barcelona transfer in blunt statement

ARSENAL have officially confirmed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left the club by mutual consent.

The striker has agreed with Arsenal to have his contract ripped up after four years with the Gunners.

And despite Aubameyang's lengthy spell in North London, the club issued a snappy 150-word statement to announce his departure.

Part of that read: "We wish Auba all the best for the next chapter in his career and thank him for his contribution to the club."

The Gunners did post a thank you video to Aubameyang on their social media channels which the forwarded reposted, with no added comment, to his Instagram story.

While not yet official, Aubameyang is expected to be announced as a Barcelona player after being seen in training with the Catalan club.

The 33-year-old forward leaves after making 162 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 92 goals, and helping the club win the FA Cup in 2020.

Aubameyang spent two-and-a-half years as captain, but was stripped of the role in December after arriving back in the UK late from a trip overseas.

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That was seemingly the final straw for boss Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard freezing Aubameyang out of his squad ever since.

An Arsenal exit was rumoured throughout the January window, and after surprising the Gunners by jetting into Barcelona by himself on deadline day, Aubameyang finally got his wish to leave the club.

An initial loan deal was mooted, but in the end the club agreed to cancel his contract entirely in order to avoid paying his mammoth £350,000-a-week wages.

Aubameyang’s departure marks the second January in a row in which Arsenal have let a high-earner leave for nothing.

Last year it was Mesut Ozil who was exiled and thrown out, with the German eventually signing for Fenerbahce.

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