Chelsea are reportedly considering an audacious move for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this month.
Aubameyang only joined Barca in a free transfer from Arsenal in January, but could be reunited with his former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are keen to strengthen their attacking options, with Raheem Sterling the only arrival since Romelu Lukaku was loaned back to Inter Milan.
The likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic have all been linked with moves away from Chelsea, but may only be allowed to leave if replacements are found. Todd Boehly is currently filling in as Chelsea’s sporting director after his takeover was followed by upheaval in the boardroom and the American held a recruitment meeting this week.
According to the Telegraph, Aubameyang was one of the names discussed by the Chelsea chiefs. The 33-year-old would be interested in returning to the Premier League and London, with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski set to demote him in the Barcelona pecking order.
Aubameyang enjoyed a decent second half to the 2021/22 season, scoring 13 goals in his first 23 games for Barcelona following his acrimonious exit from Arsenal. The Gabon international was stripped of the captaincy, frozen out of the side and then allowed to leave for Barca on a free transfer after a falling out with manager Mikel Arteta.
He contributed 92 goals and 21 assists in 163 games for the Gunners following his club-record £55million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. Barca may be reluctant to sell a proven goalscorer, who has made a strong start to life in Spain, but Chelsea know their precarious financial problems could force their hand.
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Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday but have until September 1 to complete their transfer business. Like Manchester United, Tuchel’s side are believed to have scouted Red Bull Salzburg starlet Benjamin Sesko, who has risen to prominence this year.
Sesko, a 19-year-old striker, is a full Slovenia international and has 12 goals and eight assists in 39 appearances for Salzburg. He scored the winner in the Austrian side’s 1-0 win over Liverpool in a pre-season friendly last month and has been compared to Erling Haaland.
Aubameyang will not be the last Barcelona player linked with a transfer before the window closes at the end of the month. Barca have signed Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie in a spending spree this summer but still need to trim their squad to comply with La Liga rules.
To be able to register their new signings, the Catalan club have to offload the likes of Memphis Depay, Sergino Dest, Samuel Umtiti and Riqui Puig. Barca are therefore likely to be open to offers for players.
Chelsea are also in the market for another Barcelona player: Frenkie de Jong. The midfielder has been chased by Manchester United all summer but the Blues have launched efforts to hijack the deal and give Tuchel a marquee signing.
The connections between the two clubs don’t stop there, with Xavi hoping to sign both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta this summer to add to the capture of Christensen. While Chelsea’s £52.5m deal for Brighton ’s Marc Cucurella might allow Alonso to leave, the Blues are keen to keep captain Azpilicueta.
