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As the English Premier League season gets started and the summer transfer window winds down, clubs have precious little time left to fine-tune their squads for the coming campaign. For Chelsea, that means finding more firepower on offense. The latest Chelsea transfer rumors are that the club wants to do this by bringing in former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. The reason why this is not a completed deal is that the London football club is unwilling to meet Barca’s desperate price tag. 

Chelsea transfer rumors are that Blues want Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but won’t meet Barcelona’s price 

Barcelona desperately needs to get salaries off its books to register its full boat of summer signings. The club is even stooping to legal threats against its own players to do so. 

One of those players the Catalan club is trying to get rid of is 33-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The forward came to Spain from Arsenal on a free transfer in the 2022 January window. 

Aubameyang has made 24 appearances for Barcelona and has 13 goals. While the numbers are good, he — and his $11.6 million salary, per Capology — is no longer in Blaugrana’s plans. 

The Chelsea transfer rumors now are that the club is interested in the former EPL striker and is close to agreeing to personal terms with Aubameyang. But, according to soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona wants $30m for the French/Gabonese star. New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is only willing to spend around $17 million (£15m). 

Romano calls the deal a “work in progress,” and that’s smart business from Chelsea. But it would also be a much-needed move by Thomas Tuchel’s side. 

Thomas Tuchel needs more offensive punch

The latest Chelsea transfer rumor is that Thomas Tuchel (R) wants Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (L).
(L-R) Thomas Tuchel, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images; Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images.

During the first two matches of the 2022-23 EPL season, Chelsea has struggled to produce offense from its forwards. 

Jorginho scored on a penalty on Matchday 1 to defeat Everton and, in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, the goals came from great individual plays by defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James.

Thus far, summer transfer Raheem Sterling has looked good, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Christian Pulisic have all struggled to make a difference. And now, if the latest Chelsea transfer rumors are true, Pulisic could be on his way out. 

It’s clear that Chelsea needs more firepower up front if they want to compete with Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, ad Arsenal this season. That’s why the new ownership needs to toe the line between good business and getting the Aubameyang deal done. 

A striker like Aubameyang — especially at the right price — would be the perfect addition for Chelsea before the transfer window shuts on September 1. 

All stats courtesy of Transfermrkt

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Tim Crean

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs.

As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early ’90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA.

When he’s not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.