Jamie Carragher has told Arsenal to keep hold of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the upcoming transfer window if they wish to battle for the top four next season - comparing the situation to Liverpool's when they had Luis Suarez.
Aubameyang's future has been hovering over the Gunners - with the star striker soon entering the final year of his contract.
With talks over a new deal still yet to be finalised, Arsenal are facing a predicament over the possibility of losing the 30-year-old on a free transfer next summer.
However, Carragher believes manager Mikel Arteta must not cash in on the Gabon international as he is integral to their hopes of a top-four finish come the 2020-21 campaign.
Aubameyang has 61 goals in 97 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal since joining in January 2018 - an output they cannot afford to lose, according to Carragher.
'It's interesting at Arsenal. We were in the same situation towards the end of my career at Liverpool where we were just missing out on the top four every year.
'It's okay having rules in place where players never leave for free but if I was Arteta I'd be thinking "have we got more chance of, even if he goes for nothing next year, getting into the top four if Aubameyang stays?".'
Carragher likened the situation towards the end of his time at Liverpool when they were battling to keep hold of Luis Suarez.
The former defender says they knew Suarez was too good for the Anfield outfit but it was imperative they kept him. Liverpool finished the 2012-13 season in seventh and that summer rejected a bid from Arsenal for Suarez. However, a year later the Uruguayan eventually joined Barcelona after helping the Reds finish second in the table.
'There's no doubt he's [Aubameyang] too good for Arsenal, we had that with Suarez,' Carragher continued.
'You want to keep hold of them because you want to build around them and if he goes then you're starting again.
'It's not easy when you have a player who will always be thereabouts for the Golden Boot. Keeping him gives them a greater chance of getting into the top four.'