Chelsea are looking to bolster their squad by signing another attacking player
(Image credit: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Chelsea have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to reports.
Thomas Tuchel is keen to bolster his attacking options before the transfer window closes on September 1.
Chelsea have already bought Raheem Sterling this summer, but the departures of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku have left them short at the top of the pitch.
Aubameyang, who worked under Tuchel during their time together at Borussia Dortmund, has been identified as a leading target.
The Blues are also pursuing a move for Everton's Anthony Gordon, but Aubameyang is thought to be at the top of the club's shopping list.
(Image credit: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
But even though Barcelona are open to selling the Gabon international, Aubameyang himself wants to stay at the Camp Nou and fight for his place in Xavi Hernandez's team.
That is according to a report by El Mundo Deportivo which states that the former Arsenal man is not ready to give up on his Barcelona career just yet.
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Aubameyang, whose mother was born in Spain, has long dreamed of playing in La Liga.
He secured a switch to Barcelona in January after Arsenal agreed to let him leave the club on a free transfer.
He made a bright start to his career with the club, scoring 13 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions in the second half of last season.
However, the arrival of Robert Lewandowski has seen the 33-year-old slip down the pecking order at the start of this season.
Aubameyang began Barcelona's opening game of the La Liga campaign, a 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, among the substitutes.
Despite Aubameyang's preference to stay put, a transfer cannot be ruled out given Barcelona's need to raise money through player sales.
They are hoping to receive around £23m for the France-born forward, who is under contract at the Camp Nou until the summer of 2025.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
