Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be set for a shock return to Barcelona, according to a report. The forward’s career has fallen off a cliff in recent months, and he’s currently a fringe player at Chelsea, who are struggling to score goals.
According to Football Espana, the Spanish champions in waiting could re-sign the 33-year-old, with 80 per cent of the Barca dressing room open to his return. Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 24 games for Barca after joining on a free transfer from Arsenal at the start of 2022 and looked to have regained his form after a difficult end to his time in north London.
The move back to London last year has been a disaster for all parties, with the former Arsenal man netting just three times in 20 games since his £12million move. He is surplus to requirements at Chelsea and will almost certainly leave the club in the summer, and the Blues would reportedly be willing to let him leave for nothing.
But he was allowed to leave on the cheap at the end of last season with the club in a financial crisis. Barcelona reportedly need to slash their wages by £180m to meet LaLiga’s strict financial rules, but it’s expected the club will do all they can to back Xavi in the transfer market.
The Blues are expected to execute an extreme summer clear-out as they look to bounce back from what has been a season to forget. They have had three managers and are now 12th in the Premier League and out of every other competition.
The Catalan side are expected to wrap up the LaLiga title sooner rather than later, with the gap to second place and rivals Real Madrid 11 points with six games to play. They beat Real Betis 4-0 on Saturday evening to extend the gap to double digits, with former Chelsea man Andreas Christensen on the scoresheet.
They club have lost five games in a row under Frank Lampard, and are looking forward to the end of the season when they will appoint a permanent successor to Graham Potter. Their crowded squad will be cut after new owner Todd Boehly invested hundreds of millions into the playing budget last year, though the American will spend again as he looks to improve his side’s fortunes.
