“Aubameyang shouldn’t touch Barcelona with a barge pole!” – The contract with Arsenal does not postpone any worries for Groves

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not expected to “hit Barcelona with the pole of a barge”, with Perry Groves confident that the Gabonese forward will prefer a new contract at Arsenal rather than a move to Camp Nou.

New terms at Emirates Stadium have yet to be agreed with Aubameyang, who entered the last 12 months of his current deal, leaving the Gunners in a difficult position when it comes to his future.

No sale has yet been considered, with those in North London confident that a compromise will be reached.

Former fan favorite Groves believes that will be the case, with FA Cup success and progress under Mikel Arteta providing reason for encouragement at Arsenal.

He also believes that Aubameyang is unlikely to open up to offers from Barcelona. The La Liga giants find themselves in a difficult situation, with fights on and off the pitch leading Lionel Messi to push for exits as chaos continues to reign in Catalonia.

With this in mind, Groves believes a long-running saga will soon end and Barca will be forced to look elsewhere in their search for new faces.

“I’m pretty confident he’ll sign,” Groves said talkSPORT. “It all sounds pretty good. He has a good relationship with Mikel Arteta, there seems to be some trust there.

“He is his people in the negotiations with the Arsenal people, he has nothing to do with Arteta and Aubameyang. I would be pretty confident that Aubameyang will sign.

“Scoring two goals and winning the FA Cup will make a difference because it will give him more conviction that this team is going in the right direction. I’m not overly worried.

“I know it was mentioned going to Barcelona, ​​with all the things going on there – if Messi goes. At this particular moment, as a top player, you would not touch Barcelona with a barge pole.”

Barca have been linked to Aubameyang in the past, before Messi dropped his bomb at the start, but now they seem to focus on Inter forward Lautaro Martinez.

This is good news for the Gunners, who are currently preparing for a meeting with Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield curtain.