Barcelona will mull over signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on loan, with Chelsea unwilling to let him leave for free this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Chelsea will not terminate the contract of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. That leaves Barcelona in limbo, with the Blaugrana now considering a loan deal for the cultured striker. And the player is keen on returning to Spotify Camp Nou in the summer transfer window.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has seen a storm of uncertainty engulfing his career in the last two years. This time in 2021, he could do little wrong, considering he was already a Golden Boot winner in the Premier League and Arsenal’s captain. But run-ins with Mikel Arteta abruptly ended the Gabonese striker’s stint with the Gunners. And he joined Barcelona for free 14 months ago.
But Aubameyang’s stint with Barcelona also ended abruptly, as he fell down the pecking order after Robert Lewandowski’s arrival. That was despite ending the 2021/22 season as Barcelona’s joint-top scorer. So the 33-year-old returned to the Premier League by joining Chelsea last summer.
But Aubameyang’s frustrations have continued as he has barely scored a goal for Chelsea this term. In addition, the Gabonese striker does not feature in Graham Potter’s plans and has not featured much since the January transfer window ended. Meanwhile, Chelsea had been ready to offload him this past winter, with Barcelona willing to re-sign him.
But a move did not materialise due to FIFA rules. And Aubameyang rejected the chance to move to the MLS by joining LAFC. So the cultured attacker will remain at Chelsea until the end of the season before trying to sort out his future. And Barcelona will attempt to re-sign him again in the summer.
The 33-year-old is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to rejoin Barcelona. But Barcelona’s financial woes mean they cannot afford to pay anything to re-sign the player. That puts a spanner in the works, as Chelsea will not terminate his contract. And the Catalan giants are thus contemplating a loan deal to secure Aubameyang’s services.
Widespread reports have suggested that Barcelona will only sign the Gabonese striker on a free transfer. But a loan deal is the next best option. And it will be interesting to see if they can convince Chelsea to offload Aubameyang temporarily this summer.
