Chelsea’s pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been dealt a blow as it has been revealed that he won’t be available for selection immediately as he is reportedly nursing a broken jaw.
Chelsea are desperate to bolster their attacking ranks before the transfer window closes on Thursday night, and their poor form has only highlighted their need for recruitment further. The Blues have won one of their opening four matches of the season – losing 2-1 to Southampton on Tuesday night.
Thomas Tuchel demanded defensive recruits in the early stages of the window, and he has been granted his wish with the acquisitions of Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and potentially Wesley Fofana and Josko Gvardiol. But a forward is now the priority, with the German manager keen to reunite with Aubameyang following their time together at Borussia Dortmund.
But according to The Athletic, if signs for Chelsea, he will not be able to play right away as he suffered a broken jaw whilst trying to protect his family from an alleged armed robbery - with at least four men reported to have entered the garden of his home armed with firearms and iron bars.
It is claimed that Aubameyang was threatened with the weapons before being beaten, with the men also intimidating the footballer's wife to ensure they gained access to a safe inside the property. The details are outlined by a report in Spanish newspaper El Pais .
Aubameyang then confirmed that he had been attacked with a statement on social media that read: "Hey guys, thanks a lot for all the messages. On Sunday night, some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff. They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time." He then thanked God that no one else was harmed and also the public for their support.
It has been reported that the striker may now need surgery on his jaw in order for him to be able to make a full recovery quicker than he would if the injury was left to heal naturally. Given Barcelona ’s desire to sell players as soon as possible and Chelsea’s need for a forward, the injury is not expected to cause the transfer to collapse.
However, an agreement still has not been reached between the two clubs – nor have personal terms. Tuchel was asked after the defeat to Southampton about whether he had a big enough squad, to which he replied: “Do we know we have it? I know what squads the other teams have and what the schedule is.
“Yesterday we had 16 players in training, so I cannot dream about what will happen when everyone is back. I just have what we have on the training pitch, and this is not a lot at the moment."
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea are able to strike a deal for Aubameyang, and for how long he will remain sidelined. The Blues are also interested in acquiring the services of a winger, with Anthony Gordon and PSG star Neymar linked.
