Arsenal will announce a contract extension for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the coming days, according to a report.

Sky Sports reporter Mario Giunta claims Arsenal will announce the extension for Aubameyang in the coming days. It was a priority for Mikel Arteta to keep such an important player, both on the pitch and as a character off it.

The head coach was still playing things fairly close to the chest in his press conference on Thursday. Whilst most reports suggest a deal is effectively done, Arteta suggested they didn’t have an agreement yet. But he believes they will soon.

“I keep being positive,” Arteta said. “We have had some really good talks with him and his agent and I am pretty confident that we’re going to find an agreement soon. That’s my feeling again.

“Absolutely (it’s a big lift for Arsenal), and for him as well! I think he should be very happy if he’s able to stay at the club for a long time. I think people will be delighted with that news.”

Arsenal fans were already really happy with Aubameyang after his first two-and-a-half years with the club. Despite the side’s struggles at times, he had a Premier League Golden Boot and over 25 goals in each of his two full seasons.

Yet I can’t help but feel like the Chelsea cup final really cemented their feelings about him. Until then, all those goals hadn’t led to much more than Premier League points and a couple of runners-up medals.

But Aubameyang put the team on his back at Wembley on consecutive occasions to score braces against Manchester City and Chelsea and lift the FA Cup, and that feels like a key moment on both sides.