Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Says He's 'Really Happy' at Arsenal amid Exit Rumours

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future at Arsenal continues to be the subject of doubt, but the Gunners' leading scorer this season sounds like he's still content with life in north London.

Aubameyang, who is out of contract in the summer of 2021, told the Premier League (h/t Darren Wells of the Daily Mirror): "I try to always be ready, whatever happens. I am a guy who tries to be always ready. I love the fans here and when I was younger I used to watch Arsenal because they had always great players, and yeah they won trophies as well. So I think it's really a pleasure to be here, I'm really happy. I think that's the feeling."

Those words should be music to the ears of head coach Mikel Arteta, who is keen to keep Aubameyang in the fold. The 37-year-old has expressed his desire to keep Aubameyang "under any circumstances," per BBC Sport.

Making Arteta's wish a reality won't be easy though, with Aubameyang seeking a contract paying him £300,000 per week, per MailOnline's Matt Porter.

Retaining the services of one of the deadliest finishers in the game for the long haul would be an obvious boost for Arteta's attempts to rebuild Arsenal into a trophy-winning force. It would make sense for the Gunners to stump up the cash for a striker with 20 goals in all competitions to his credit so far this season.

Production on this scale follows the 31 goals Aubameyang netted last season, with 22 coming in England's top flight. They were good enough to earn him a three-way share of the golden boot—with Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane—as the division's top scorer.

Aubameyang has proved himself the attacking talisman of Arteta's team. It's curious then the Arsenal chief has elected to play the 30-year-old wide rather than through the middle.

Meanwhile, neither Eddie Nketiah nor Alexandre Lacazette have fully convinced in the centre-forward role despite the latter scoring the winner as a substitute to beat West Ham United 1-0 on Saturday.

Aubameyang has taken to playing on the flanks without complaint, underlining him as a malleable team player Arteta can use to reshape this squad. The prolific marksman has also taken on a leadership position as skipper, showing an emotional investment in his team's swings of fortune.

His disappointment was tangible after the Gabon star missed a terrific chance to equalise against Olympiacos in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League. Aubameyang's failure from close range meant the Gunners were eliminated on the away goals rule and lost another chance to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Missing out on a seat at Europe's top table for a fourth season running since he joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in the winter of 2018 must be a bitter blow for Aubameyang.

The same goes for a continued struggle to win silverware in a Gunners shirt. Aubameyang and Arsenal lost the 2018 Carabao Cup final 3-0 to Manchester City under Arsene Wenger, and they were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea in last season's Europa League final on Unai Emery's watch.

Defeat against Olympiacos means Arsenal's hunt for a first European trophy since 1994 goes on. To his credit, Aubameyang sounds as though he won't let trophies define his career, telling Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday: "I'm a striker so I will defend my side - I don't think you need trophies to be a top striker."

Standing by those words will be increasingly difficult if winning clubs come calling during the summer. Inter Milan are interested, according to Calciomercato.com, while Wells mentioned La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid as potential suitors in another report for the Mirror.

Arsenal may already have a contingency in place if Aubameyang leaves. Gent forward Jonathan David is a possible target, per Goal's Charles Watts, while Le10 Sport (h/t Joe Brophy of The Sun) has reported former Gunners youth player Donyell Malen, now at PSV Eindhoven, could also be an option.

Malen and David have the pace, technique and finishing quality Arteta would value, but the best-case scenario is surely to agree new terms with a natural goalscorer as consistent as Aubameyang.