Aubameyang, Barça's Plan B.
Barça cannot meet the Argentine's 112 million euro buy-out clause in the first two weeks of July, so they are beginning to look at alternatives. Negotiations with Arsenal for Aubameyang have already begun, following the guidelines on player exchanges. Lautaro is not a possibility. The Argentine is earning 1.5 million euros, well below the wages of a footballer of his class. He will have to renew because, if no club is willing to pay the buy-out clause, Inter can freely set their own price.
Lautaro had reached an agreement with Barça. Barcelona's financial difficulties and the renegotiation with its players to cut wages has been yet another bone of contention with Messi. Lautaro knows this and already suspects that Inter will not negotiate and that Barça won't have the 112 million it needs to pay them in cash. If they do not pay it, the release clause will not be triggered and the deal is as good as dead.
Back in January, Lautaro's agents felt it wasn't the right time to negotiate, although Inter wanted to give him a five-fold pay rise. Obviously this would not have happened without another club looking on. But times have changed. Covid 19 has altered the environment, right at a time when Lautaro wants to negotiate a better deal with Inter. He knows a move will be difficult for him. 112 million is a huge figure in today's market, and it will be a long time before they can start announcing "galactico" signings again. Fate has dealt the Argentine a lousy hand.