Chelsea have reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with defender Marcos Alonso going the other way, Sky Sports reported on Thursday's transfer deadline day.
The report said that the Premier League club are expected to pay a fee in the region of $11.56 million plus offer Alonso to sign Aubameyang, who joined Barcelona in February after leaving Arsenal.
The Gabon international scored 13 goals in 24 games for the Catalan club, but was surplus to requirements after they signed Poland striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and needed to offload players to comply with LaLiga's financial rules.
AUBAMEYANG WITH HIS FIRST EL CLASICO GOAL pic.twitter.com/QIPm8r81Ji
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 20, 2022
If Aubameyang's transfer to Chelsea goes through, he would return to the English top flight after seven months, having played for Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal for four years. He would also be reunited with manager Thomas Tuchel, after the pair previously worked together at Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.
The 33-year-old was the Premier League's joint top scorer in the 2018-19 season and led Arsenal to the FA Cup in the following campaign, but had a fall-out with Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta last season over disciplinary issues. Aubameyang, who has three years left on his Barcelona contract, suffered a jaw injury following an armed robbery at his home and is expected to be out of action for three weeks.
Chelsea have been playing without a recognized striker after Romelu Lukaku moved back to Inter Milan on loan in the close season while Timo Werner returned to RB Leipzig. The London club have signed a number of high-profile players in the transfer window, including Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
