Chelsea have completed a deal for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Todd Boehly securing a deadline day move.
The American has spent heavily in his first summer at Stamford Bridge and following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, has elected to make a swoop for the Gabonese forward. Aubameyang has penned a two-year deal in west London, with Blues defender Marcos Alonso making his own move to the Camp Nou in part-exchange.
Aubameyang's reported €14m (£12.1m) move to Chelsea brings to an end his short spell with Barcelona having only agreed a deal with the Spanish giants in January following his departure from Arsenal.
Since then, the 33-year-old has made 24 appearances for the Catalan giants in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and helping Xavi’s men book a place back in the Champions League this season.
Instead of representing Barcelona in the competition, Aubameyang will instead be donning the blue of Chelsea with his move to Stamford Bridge having now been rubber-stamped.
Talking after putting pen to paper on a deal with the Blues, the striker said: "I’m really happy. It’s an honour to be part of this team and I can’t wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it’s good to be back and really exciting."
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Chelsea chairman Boehly added: "Pierre-Emerick is an elite striker with a proven track record in the Premier League and his arrival strengthens our squad, giving us new attacking options. We are thrilled to have Pierre-Emerick on board with us in the new era at Chelsea and we’re really looking forward to working with him."
Aubameyang will certainly hope that his time with Chelsea proves to be as successful as his period with London rivals Arsenal. After arriving from German giants Borussia Dortmund - where he worked with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel - he went on to score 92 goals in 163 outings for the club and lifted the FA Cup.
His spell with the Gunners ended on a sour note though with a disciplinary breach seeing him stripped of the captaincy at the Emirates Stadium. He was then allowed to leave the club at the end of the January transfer window in a move to Barcelona.
It remains to be seen whether Aubameyang will be available to make his Chelsea debut this weekend with Tuchel ’s side set to take on West Ham United at the London Stadium.
His arrival is set to round-off Chelsea’s business with Boehly having completed seven signings in his first season at the reins - the likes of Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and more having arrived at the club.
The Blues have of course endured a frustrating start to the new season having lost two out of their opening five games of the campaign - a run that includes the frustrating 2-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton last time out.
