Arsenal reportedly paid Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a huge lump sum so the Gabon striker could secure a free transfer to Barcelona on transfer deadline day.
Aubameyang had been distanced from the Gunners since his latest disciplinary breach saw him stripped of the captaincy in early December.
He had not featured for the club since, and it was widely expected he would depart, if Arsenal could find a club to take on his £350,000-per-week wages.
As the window wore on, that looked increasingly unlikely, and midway through deadline day, it seemed as though Mikel Arteta was going to have to find a way to bring Aubameyang back into the squad and team or be left with a former club captain and highest-paid player left in the wings.
But at the last hour, Barcelona agreed to sign Aubameyang on a permanent deal, rather than the loan that had previously been purported.
It was agreed Arsenal would allow Aubameyang to leave "by mutual consent", which, it was thought, meant the termination of his contract.
However, as The Times has now reported, Arsenal are said to have paid £7million to terminate Aubameyang's contract so that he could sign with Barcelona on new terms, rather than the Catalan club be stuck with the 18 months remaining of the previous big-money deal he signed in 2020.
Whether the Gunners stumped up the cash to terminate Aubameyang's deal or not, it still represents a significant saving on their investment.
Aubameyang's contract had another 74 weeks to run, meaning Arsenal owed him a further £25.9 million. Even with the lump sum paid, the club saved nearly £20 million by offloading the striker on a free transfer.
Upon his arrival at the Nou Camp, the 32-year-old expressed his pride at making the move and eagerness to succeed.
"Very proud, especially because my family is Spanish as well from my mother's side," he said. "I'm just really proud and happy to be here.
"My main goal is to help the team and give everything I can to bring the team back in the Champions League and stuff like that. So I'm just happy to be here and I will try to give everything."
The Gabon international will be working under legendary former player Xavi, who was appointed as Barcelona manager earlier this season after Ronald Koeman was dismissed.
"That's amazing to have [Xavi] as a coach," he said. "He's been a fantastic player that everyone knows. I'm sure as a coach that he will bring us something that we will learn definitely."
