Chelsea are reportedly considering signing former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Barcelona needing to remove wages from their books, and they expect to find out this week if it’s possible.
When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona, he took a large paycut to facilitate the move on the basis that he would be compensated over the course of the rest of his deal.
Not long after he arrived, however, it was claimed that he was one 25 players who had been put up for sale. Just as they did with Frenkie de Jong, it seemed like Barcelona were prepared to go back on their agreement with the forward.
Last week, it was claimed that Chelsea were interested in signing the player, whom Barcelona got for free from Arsenal.
This week, they seem more than just a little interested.
![Chelsea still want Aubameyang Club waiting on Barcelona to weigh up attacking options RB Leipzig on the brink of signing Werner permanently The Daily Telegraph9 Aug 2022By Matt Law FOOTBALL NEWS CORRESPONDENT In demand: Forward Pierre-emerick Aubameyang (pictured) is a Chelsea target but Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez wants to keep him Chelsea could find out this week if they have a realistic chance of signing Pierre-emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, while Timo Werner is on the brink of sealing his permanent return to RB Leipzig. Werner’s move, together with the fact that Callum Hudson-odoi and Hakim Ziyech want to leave Stamford Bridge before the transfer window shuts, will heighten Chelsea’s need to sign another attacker. Chelsea have been prioritising their interest in defender Wesley Fofana, who they remain in dialogue with Leicester City over, and midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is yet to tell Barcelona he wants to leave. It is understood that Barcelona are likely to sell only one of Aubameyang or Memphis Depay, who has also been linked to Chelsea and is a target for Juventus. Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez would ideally like to keep Aubameyang, who moved to Spain from Arsenal at the end of the January transfer window, but the club may be forced to take a more pragmatic approach having also signed Robert Lewandowski. Chelsea have been in talks with Barcelona over a number of deals this summer. Left-back Marcos Alonso has agreed a deal to join the Spanish club after Cesar Azpilicueta last week decided to stay at Chelsea and sign a new contract. If De Jong decides to leave the Nou Camp, Chelsea are confident he will choose them over Manchester United. Werner’s departure will create significant space on the wage bill, as the German earned close to £270,000 a week at Chelsea, who will also receive a fee of around £20 million, less than half the £47.5million the club paid for him two years ago. But Werner’s book value with three years remaining on his contract was £28.5 million, meaning Chelsea have accepted a relatively small loss that could potentially decrease further if various add-ons are paid. Chelsea could also offload two more forward players, with Hudson-odoi hoping to leave on loan before the window shuts and Ziyech still keen on a move away. Borussia Dortmund and Southampton have shown an interest in Hudson-odoi, while AC Milan have held talks over taking Ziyech on loan. Another player who is leaving Chelsea is defender Malang Sarr, who started his medical to join Monaco on an initial loan yesterday. The Ligue 1 club have agreed to pay around £600,000 to take Sarr on loan, with an obligation, as long as certain conditions are met, to buy him for £10million, plus just over £3million in add-ons. Azpilicueta admitted he was more comfortable on the right side of a back three than at right wing-back when explaining his decision to sign a new two-year contract at Chelsea, rather than holding out for a move to Barcelona. “I am really happy,” said the 32-year-old. “It felt right to carry on my journey here in a new project. After the Club World Cup where I became the only player to ever win every trophy, [I felt] it was the time to go back [to Spain]. But then everything happened with this club. I wanted to stay committed to the club.”](https://dailycannon.com/static/uploads/2022/08/daily-telegrpah-chelsea-aubameyang-e1660035583747.png "Chelsea to learn from Barcelona this week if Aubameyang is for sale 2")
“It is understood that Barcelona are likely to sell only one of Aubameyang or Memphis Depay, who has also been linked to Chelsea and is a target for Juventus.
“Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez would ideally like to keep Aubameyang.”
When AubaChelsea to learn from Barcelona this week if Aubameyang is for sale signed for Barcelona, Xavi called the transfer a ‘gift fallen from the sky’ and, given they can demand a transfer fee for the Aubameyang, he’s not wrong.
Barcelona got the goals they needed for the second half of the season and, now, could pocket a significant sum on top, too.
Chelsea have reportedly already been in touch with Auba to sound him out about a move, although at this point no bid has been forthcoming and Chelsea are believed to view him as a back-up option, should other moves fail to happen.
Aubameyang, who turned 33 in June, is currently valued at around £13.5m.