Mikel Arteta plans to ‘take matters into his own hands’ to convince Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a new deal at Arsenal, according to a report.

The Telegraph report that Mikel Arteta is desperate to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal. He’s planning to open talks with the player directly, hoping to impress the striker and his father. The coach believes his hands-on approach could make the difference.

Arteta knows it would be difficult to replace Aubameyang for the £35m price tag he’ll probably have on his shoulders this summer. With a year left on his deal and the current financial situation, it’s difficult to realistically ask for more.

The report suggests the biggest sticking point will be Champions League football. Aubameyang is desperate to play in the competition again, which is unlikely for Arsenal next season.

As we pointed out yesterday, the media are really covering all bases when it comes to Aubameyang’s situation. We’ve heard Arsenal are offering him a contract, we’ve heard they aren’t, we’ve heard they started talks in December, or March, or recently.

It’s definitely difficult to know what to believe at the moment.