Chelsea are very close to signing Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a straight-cash deal, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs claims.
The Blues have been determined to sign a new centre-forward before the transfer deadline, and it is widely known that Aubameyang is the prime transfer target for them.
Earlier this week, Jacobs reported that Chelsea had offered £18 million up front for Aubameyang – a fee that’s ‘acceptable’ to Barca – but negotiations were still ongoing over add-ons.
In a fresh update, he has now revealed that the Blues are ‘very close’ to landing Aubameyang in a straight-cash agreement.
Our view:
Barcelona are yet to register new signing Jules Kounde and they need around £15m in order to do so.
The initial plan was to offload Memphis Depay or Sergino Dest to meet the requirement, but neither of those players appear close to leaving the club before the deadline.
This has definitely played into the hands of Chelsea, who appear on course to sign Aubameyang for much less than the original £25m price tag set by the Catalan giants.
Aubameyang is no longer in the prime of his career at 33, but he would still provide an upgrade for Chelsea, who have struggle for regular goals from their main strikers.
Both Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku struggled to make a significant impact last season. The duo have since left the club on a permanent and temporary deal respectively.
Kai Havertz has been tasked to play as the centre-forward this campaign, but the German has been equally disappointing with the lack of cutting edge in and around the box.
Aubameyang should certainly provide the Blues with a better output.. He scored nearly 100 goals during his time at Arsenal with 68 of those coming in the Premier League.
He could make an instant impression for Chelsea as he is well familiar with the league as well as the surroundings. He could be an excellent short-term signing.
