Everton are reportedly plotting a bid to land Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January, with Chelsea and Liverpool interested in the striker as well.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Everton are the latest, surprise suitors in pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose time at Borussia Dortmund looks set to come to an end. Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in signing the Gabonese striker as well, and a three-way battle is on the cards.
Aubameyang has been a force to be reckoned with ever since he joined Borussia Dortmund from Saint-Etienne in 2013. An instrumental figure for Die Schwarzgelben over the last few years, the player has been one of the top scorers in Bundesliga, and has been in fine form this season as well, with 19 goals and two assists in 20 outings.
However, his disciplinary issues have often been the undoing for Aubameyang, especially this season, following a failed bid to leave Dortmund in the summer. It now looks like his problematic ways have caught up to him, with the Bundesliga outfit prepared to sell the player in January, having already temporarily suspended him once, last month.
Aubameyang to #EFC for £60M in January according to the ever reliable Mirror lads. Story derived from Steve Walsh watching his team last night in the stands. pic.twitter.com/1IVViAsenl
— John Merro (@johnmerro1) December 7, 2017
With the 28-year-old set to be available in a month’s time, top clubs – and in particular ones from the Premier League – are lining up. Chelsea and Liverpool have been eyeing up Aubameyang for a long time, and the duo have now been joined by Everton in pursuit of the Gabon international.
Antonio Conte is reportedly in search of a striker with Alvaro Morata admittedly struggling with the demands of playing three games a week as the Blues compete on all four fronts. With Michy Batshuayi unable to stamp his authority in the few chances afforded to him, the Chelsea boss has the need to sign a top striker to continue challenging on all four fronts.
At Liverpool, the future of Daniel Sturridge is uncertain, with the striker eager to secure regular game time to stake claim for a berth in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next summer’s World Cup.
The possible departure of the Englishman would leave Jurgen Klopp with just Roberto Firmino as the senior striker at his disposal, with Danny Ings still building up his fitness after long injury layoffs and Dominic Solanke only a bit-part player for now, making Aubameyang a viable target.
But, a major bone of contention for the 28-year-old will be his inability to play in the Champions League when the Round of 16 commences in February, apart from sharing game time if he joins either club. One club that won’t have any such problems in their pursuit of Aubameyang is Everton.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has finished T-21st in the Ballon d’Or 2017 rankings #Bvb pic.twitter.com/pzU7CE4jbj
— BVB Buzz (@BVBBuzz) December 7, 2017
The Toffees have not managed to adequately replace Romelu Lukaku, with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Sandro Ramirez and Oumar Niasse struggling to be consistent enough, and Wayne Rooney flourishing more as a creative midfielder.
Aubameyang is, thus, an ideal target, who could bring bagful of goals at Goodison Park. A distinct disadvantage for Everton, though, is that they are not participating in any European competition anymore and look some way off qualifying for the Champions League, come May.
So even though Sam Allardyce has made a statement of intent to eventually make the premier European competition, tempting Aubameyang to play without European football for at least one season might be a tall order.
Nevertheless, Everton have the financial muscle to challenge Chelsea and Liverpool in their pursuit, with Dortmund set to slap a £60 million price tag on the player. It now remains to be seen where Aubameyang heads off to in January, with his stint at Dortmund set to come to an end.
