Chelsea face a potential roadblock in their mission to sign former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before the summer transfer window slams shut. The 33-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from Barcelona amid both Timo Werner's exit from Stamford Bridge and the Spanish giants' financial woes.
football.london understand that the Blues are considering a move for the Barcelona forward. It's said that Thomas Tuchel is looking to bolster his strike force and arm his side with a greater cutting-edge in the final third.
Reports suggest the Gabon international could leave the Camp Nou just seven months after joining the club. Aubameyang, who is currently valued at £12.7million by CIES Football Observatory, left Arsenal in January after falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium following a pattern of alleged misdemeanours.
READ MORE: Chelsea close to Aubameyang 'green light' as intermediary spotted in Barcelona
Barcelona need to trim their wage bill to allow £150million worth of summer signings to be registered ahead of the new campaign, with Aubameyang seemingly poised to leave less than a year after his arrival. While Chelsea may reportedly be in the race to acquire his signature, the Blues could have been already handed a major setback in their efforts.
When the striker was rumoured to be joining Bayern Munich in January 2017 from Borussia Dortmund, he insisted that he'd never join a rival. As quoted by the Express, Aubameyang said: "I'll never go to Bavaria, that’s for sure. That would be too hard for the Dortmund fans.
"No matter what they offer me, I would say no," he added. "Absolutely no way. I’ve played for St. Etienne and the fans told me I should never go to Lyon. So I didn’t go. The only club I would leave Dortmund for are Real Madrid. If they don't come calling, I don't leave."
Aubameyang, who sees his contract at Barcelona expire in 2025, featured 17 times for Xavi's side last season, directly contributing towards 12 goals. His impressive displays guided the club to a silver-medal finish in La Liga, though 13 points behind Real Madrid.
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