Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has provided his take on the ongoing speculation surrounding the future of teammate and close friend Ousmane Dembele.
The subject of wide-man Dembele's future has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines of late.
This comes as the Frenchman, despite a head-turning resurgence under the watch of Xavi Hernandez, sees his contract continue to inch towards its conclusion this coming summer.
Speaking to the media on Sunday night, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Dembele's situation was put to the aforementioned Aubameyang.
And the winter arrival in Catalunya was unwavering in his response, insisting that 'Dembouz' simply 'has to stay here':
Messi matched
Aubameyang's public plea to Dembele, of course, comes after the former Borussia Dortmund pair combined to devastating effect on the pitch once more just 24 hours ago.
After Xavi's troops fell into a surprise hole at relegation-battling Levante, Dembele's deft left-footed delivery teed up Aubameyang's equaliser on the hour mark, setting the stage for a stunning last-gasp Blaugrana triumph:
Not only that, but, in the process of laying on yet another Barca goal, Dembele too joined some altogether elite company on the continent.
As revealed by statisticians Opta, the French international has matched one-time teammate Lionel Messi as the most prolific assist provider across Europe’s top-5 leagues since the turn of the year:
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