Barcelona have made Chelsea’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang their top No 9 target this
summer on a striker list that also includes Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.
The LaLiga
leaders want to re-sign Aubameyang, who made a lasting impression on the Barca dressing
room during his spell at the club last year, as competition for Robert
Lewandowski.
Manager Xavi is understood to see the Gabon striker as a slightly
different option to the Poland captain, but the financial aspect of re-signing him from
Chelsea will not be straightforward - and Firmino will be a free agent when his
Liverpool contract expires on July 1.
Aubameyang is understood to have remained a
consummate professional at Stamford Bridge having been told he would not be part of
previous boss Graham Potter’s plans, and being omitted from their squad for the
Champions League knockout stages.
The 33-year-old's attitude is said to have remained
first class and he has trained well with the intention of still trying to win a place
in the team, having come off the bench in the games against Tottenham and Wolves this
year.
Image: Roberto Firmino will leave Liverpool at the end of his contract in the
summer
Aubameyang is still not part of Chelsea’s long-term plans however, and they are
happy for him to move on this summer in what is expected to be a significant clear-out
of players due to the number of additions they made in the last two transfer
windows.
Barca were keen to bring Aubameyang back to the club in January but were
unable to commit the necessary funds.
The club are trying to negotiate more flexibility
with LaLiga for next season, which they hope will also include the return of Lionel
Messi, but they remain at the limit of their financial fair play capacity as things
stand.
Firmino’s status as a free agent, having announced earlier this year he would be
leaving Anfield, therefore brings him into play as another serious option, along with
another impending free agent, Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram.
Barca’s list
also contains the 18-year-old Athletico Paranaense striker Vitor Roque.
Aubameyang,
whose situation is also being monitored by clubs in Italy and Germany, is understood to
be keen on a return to Barca, and the intention is to work towards this outcome in the
coming weeks, with his Chelsea contract still having a year left to run.
The former
Arsenal forward has not enjoyed a happy return to London with Chelsea, scoring three
goals in 20 appearances in all competitions - 10 of which have been starts.
Aubameyang
joined the Blues from Barcelona for £10.3m last summer after a productive spell at the
Nou Camp during the second half of the 2024/22 season, scoring 13 goals in 24 games in
all competitions.
