Chelsea are pushing hard to sign Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before the transfer deadline, Spanish outlet Sport claim (page 12).
The Blues have offloaded two of their main strikers in Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku (on loan) this summer, and manager Thomas Tuchel is said to be eyeing a replacement.
Aubameyang is the priority target for him, and Sport claim that Chelsea are ‘pushing hard’ to try and finalise a transfer agreement with the Catalan giants.
The Gabon star’s intermediaries recently met Barcelona at the London club’s request, and the outlet reveal that a good offer from Chelsea will be assessed.
Aubameyang took a significant pay-cut to join Barcelona in January, but there is a ‘quite notorious salary increase’ for his first full season at the club.
With Barcelona’s underlying financial problems, he could still leave for the right price.
Our view:
Chelsea have lacked the presence of a genuine scoring striker in recent seasons. Raheem Sterling could be a solution, but he is more comfortable on the left wing.
Hence, Tuchel will want a trustable figure to lead the line for him. Aubameyang would be a shrewd signing for the German, considering his vast Premier League experience.
He would not need any time to adapt to the higher intensity of the league after his four years at Arsenal.
The 33-year-old had a tough spell with the Gunners during the first half of the previous campaign, but redeemed himself with the switch to the Blaugrana in January.
Aubameyang ended up with 20 goals and three assists last season. Chelsea would certainly take a similar tally from him this term as they look to challenge for the league title.
If Barcelona are persuaded to sell due to their financial problems, personal terms may not prove a stumbling block as Chelsea have one of the highest wage bills in the division.
Tuchel also knows Aubameyang very well from their time together at Borussia Dortmund. Aubameyang would be assured a guaranteed spot up front unlike at Barcelona this term.
With the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, it is quite clear that the Poland international will be leading the line regularly for the Catalans this campaign.
