Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been offered an escape route out of Stamford Bridge by MLS side LAFC. The former Arsenal man has been tipped to leave the club after being omitted from Graham Potter's UEFA Champions League squad.
Following Todd Boehly's January rally, with nearly £300million spent, the Gabon forward was the unfortunate figure at Cobham to be excluded to allow Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Enzo Fernandez to feature in Europe.
The Blues face German side Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16, with the first leg taking place next Wednesday. Potter's men will be looking to replicate Thomas Tuchel's 2021 success in the competition, with a top four finish in the Premier League slowly fading.
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Reports have suggested that the U.S could be a likely destination for the striker, despite England's January transfer window closing. The American Primary transfer window opened on Tuesday, January 31 and will close on Monday, April 24, meaning he could move to the MLS.
As it's the 2023 season in the States, Aubameyang will be able to move despite FIFA rules stating that players can only play for two teams in one season. LAFC are currently seeking a designated player after Gareth Bale's retirement.
However, despite links with a move away from west London, Potter has already declared what he plans to do with Aubameyang for the remainder of this campaign. Speaking following Friday's goalless draw with Fulham, the Chelsea boss was asked about his thinking behind the exclusion.
"I don't think it's going to be difficult because Pierre is a professional and of course, I understand he will be disappointed. It was a tough decision, a tough call," he said. "We had three coming in and two had to go out. He was the one that missed out, he's done nothing wrong at all.
"We wanted to give David some game time today to see where he's at and to give him that opportunity. I think you saw that one flash that he's got. Pierre is just unfortunate and he will be fighting for his place for the rest of the season.
"Whichever decision we made there was always going to be a conversation about it but it was my decision. It was a tough decision absolutely, sometimes you have to make these calls but it's absolutely nothing bad against him. He's done nothing wrong at all."
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