Chelsea is prepared to make a bid for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in an effort to profit from the Catalan club’s financial woes.
Chelsea is preparing to make a formal offer for Aubameyang, and talks between the Premier League team and Barcelona have begun and will continue over the next 48 hours.
Though Aubameyang is thought to be ignorant of any desire from Nou Camp officials to sell him, despite the £42.5 million arrival of Poland striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich this summer, this week’s negotiations will establish how open Barcelona are to selling.
The former Arsenal striker spent two seasons playing for Borussia Dortmund under Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
He recently received the number 17 from Barcelona, and it’s interesting to note that he wore it in Germany. Some have speculated that Barcelona did this in an effort to keep hold of the player.
Aubameyang, who joined from the Emirates in January, isn’t trying to leave after impressing.
Given his connections to rivals Arsenal, it is unclear if the 33-year-old would consider a move to Chelsea, even though his departure from north London was contentious.
The £97.5 million record acquisition Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on a season-long loan, and Timo Werner joined RB Leipzig again, leaving Chelsea in need of forwards this summer.
Despite Leicester’s reluctance to discuss moving their star defender, Chelsea is considering making a third offer for Wesley Fofana.
The second offer from Chelsea was reportedly valued roughly £65 million. Although Leicester has stated that the 21-year-old is not for sale, they would have to make a decision if an offer exceeded £80 million, the record price for a defender.
Leicester is aware that Fofana won’t be a long-term member of the team, but they would prefer that he stay for another year. Although Fofana is said to be aiming to leave this summer, he is impressed by Chelsea’s interest.
Brendan Rodgers’ spending intentions for Leicester must be financed by selling players, as their upcoming set of financial statements is expected to reveal a sizable loss.
The team has rejected two offers from Newcastle for attacking midfielder James Maddison, and they are also open to selling Youri Tielemans, whose contract is entering its final year.
Newcastle has also inquired about Harvey Barnes, a winger who is worth more than £60 million.