Chelsea have made a final transfer offer to sign Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to Sport.
The Blues have identified the Gabon star as their priority target to bolster the centre-forward department, and they are now close to landing his services.
Sport claim that Chelsea have made a final offer of £17m for the former Arsenal captain, and Barcelona are considering the possibility of accepting the bid.
The La Liga giants were eyeing £30m earlier this month, but are now prepared to sell for less as they look to register new signing Jules Kounde as soon as possible.
As per the report, Barcelona need another £15m to register Kounde, and the departure of Aubameyang would guarantee that as well as leave some money to spare.
Our view:
Chelsea have been pushing to sign Aubameyang for a number of weeks, and they are now on the verge of making a breakthrough in negotiations with the Blaugrana.
The La Liga giants were initially hoping to release Memphis Depay with interest from Juventus, but that seems unlikely to happen with the Serie A side focusing elsewhere.
Due to this, their hands are tied at the moment, and parting ways with Aubameyang would ensure that they can register Kounde in time for the next game against Real Valladolid.
The move should also prove beneficial for Chelsea, who will be getting a proven match-winner.
Aubameyang was terrific during his first three years for Arsenal. His displays dipped in the first half of last season, but found his feet after the mid-season move to Barcelona.
A switch away from Camp Nou now makes sense after their decision to sign Robert Lewandowski this summer. Aubameyang does not have a guaranteed starting role with them anymore.
At Chelsea, he would be the first-choice striker ahead of Kai Havertz with his vast Premier League experience. Aubameyang bagged 68 goals and 16 assists in his previous league stint.
