Barcelona and Chelsea are reportedly set to engage in a new round of talks for 33-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona and Chelsea will hold another meeting this week to try and reach an agreement over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 33-year-old striker is ready to join the west London club, but the transfer fee has complicated the matters for all parties.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has rebuilt his career since joining Barcelona on a free transfer after having his Arsenal contract terminated in January. The Gabonese striker was once a talismanic figure for the Gunners, but his stock plummeted under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta. However, he did not look back after moving to Barcelona six months ago.
The 33-year-old ended the 2021/22 season as Barcelona’s top scorer, despite turning out only 23 times. But Aubameyang has become a bit-part player for the Blaugrana at the onset of the new campaign, with Robert Lewandowski’s arrival pushing him down the pecking order. And after barely featuring in the first few games, he is open to leaving Barcelona to join Chelsea.
Chelsea first considered signing Aubameyang when Timo Werner was inching closer to rejoining RB Leipzig. After already sanctioning Romelu Lukaku’s loan return to Inter Milan, Werner’s exit has left Thomas Tuchel bereft of a recognised striker, especially with Armando Broja yet to get the Chelsea manager’s seal of approval.
Aubameyang thus emerged as a viable target for Chelsea, even though the Barcelona striker had initially shown no interest in moving to Stamford Bridge. Barcelona had also become open to the idea of selling Aubameyang this summer despite Xavi Hernandez’s pleas of keeping him at Camp Nou.
Recent reports had claimed that Chelsea and Barcelona were on the verge of finalising the agreement for the 33-year-old striker. But the deal has stalled due to differences in the valuations of the two clubs. However, Barcelona and Chelsea are meeting this week to discuss Aubameyang’s transfer.
With personal terms unlikely to be a problem, Chelsea will hope to agree to the transfer fee with Barcelona quickly, with deadline day just two days away. It will be interesting to see if Aubameyang’s stint with Barcelona ends after just six months.
