Chelsea are set to let one of their biggest flops of the last 12 months leave Stamford Bridge for absolutely nothing this summer.
It's been a bruising season for the Blues, following Todd Boehly acquiring the club last year and investing around £600 million in playing talent. Thomas Tuchel was sacked early on, replaced by Graham Potter, who in turn was relieved of duties, with club legend Frank Lampard taking interim charge.
Lampard has lost every one of his six matches in charge, however, the latest being a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, in which the Blues boss gave Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his first start since the reverse fixture before the World Cup.
Aubameyang was hooked after 45 minutes and according to the Daily Telegraph, the decision has been made to let him depart for nothing – just as he did from the Emirates Stadium in January 2022.
The Gabonese goal-getter was brought into the fold following an impressive second half of last season at Barcelona as a cut-price option to work with former manager, Tuchel. The German was sacked just a game into the pair's reunion, however.
Now, Auba will have the choice of AC Milan, Atletico Madrid or a return to Barça to choose from if he wants to remain in European football. Major League Soccer could be on the cards, otherwise.
The likes of Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga could all follow Aubameyang – however, Boehly is determined to keep Arsenal target Mason Mount.
Chelsea sit 12th in the table on 39 points. Incredibly, they are still not mathematically immune from relegation, following four straight defeats in the Premier League.
Aubameyang is said to be worth €7m by Transfermarkt.
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With Chelsea heading towards their worst-ever Premier League finish, Gary Neville has hailed the expected appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as a good move.
The Blues have been linked with Sadio Mane, along with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, in a bid to improve their squad. Romelu Lukaku has also been mooted for a return to the squad, though outgoings are inevitable. Mason Mount is linked with a Premier League move, as N'Golo Kante may well join Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has suggested he's enjoyed Chelsea's struggles this season.
