AC Milan's former director of football has revealed that his failure to re-sign a African Player of the Year winner, who would later go on to become Arsenal's record signing, ranks as one of his biggest regrets.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became the Gunners' most expensive player ever when he arrived at the Emirates from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in a deal said worth £63.75 million (R1.2 billion) in January 2018.
However, the Gabon international's career could have taken a different path had Italian giants Milan decided to secure his services prior to the 29-year-old's move to England.
Former Milan director of football Massimiliano Mirabelli has now revealed that the Italian giants came close to re-signing the former Saint-Etienne attacker – who is a graduate of the Rossoneri's youth academy but failed to make an appearance for the club's senior side – when he was at BVB, and suggested that the lack of time to conclude a deal proved decisive during the negotiation process.
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"It's a pity that our project didn't continue, it only lasted 15 months. I wanted to have more time and more transfer windows available. It's hard when you only have two windows," he told calciomercato.com
"We were in close contact with the player (Aubameyang) but eventually, we didn't manage to sign him. He is one of my favorite strikers and it's a pity that we couldn't end negotiations, it's one of my regrets."
Aubameyang first made the move to the Italian club more than a decade ago, when he joined their youth academy in 2007.
Despite impressing at an international tournament, he was subsequently loaned out to Dijon, Lille, AS Monaco and Saint-Etienne before eventually signing a permanent deal with the latter in January 2012.
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Aubameyang is the joint third-highest goalscorer in England's top flight this season, with 17 goals in 31 appearances thus far in this campaign.
Do you think Aubameyang's career would have been as successful had he rejoined Milan from Dortmund? Have your say in the comments section below.
