Chelsea take advantage of Manchester United's failure; €25m demand made
Tuchel is keen to sign a number nine after losing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner
Manchester United's loss is Chelsea's gain, with Thomas Tuchel pushing the Blues to complete a move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Red Devils were also offered the Gabon international, but declined his services despite Erik ten Hag desperately seeking attacking reinforcements.
The former Arsenal skipper joined Football Club Barcelona in January after terminating his contract with the Gunners. Aubameyang impressed under Xavi, scoring 11 goals in 17 appearances to help the team finish second in La Liga behind Real Madrid.
In spite of the Gabonese forward's impressive showing, Barcelona pursued Robert Lewandowski before signing him from Bayern Munich in a €45.5 million deal. The Poland international's arrival has seen Aubameyang lose his place in the starting XI.
The Catalan club are still desperately trying to slash their over-inflated wage bill, while also looking to raise funds. Xavi is well stocked in attack following Lewandowski and Raphinha's arrival, and is ready to offload Aubameyang, who has a contract until 2025.
According to Spanish journalist Toni Juanmarti, Tuchel is now pushing Chelsea to bring the Gabonese forward to Stamford Bridge. The German coach is keen to reunite with his former Borussia Dortmund player.
The Blues lost Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this summer, leaving Tuchel with only out of favour forward Michy Batshuayi and the inexperienced Armando Broja as options. Aubameyang has been backed to find his best form after an impressive end to the 2021-22 season.
The 33-year-old forward labelled his move to Barcelona a "dream come true" and is not keen to return to the Premier League with Chelsea. However, the Catalan club could push him out if they accept Chelsea's offer and signal that he is not part of Xavi's plans.
Chelsea's initial offer of €14 million was rejected by Barcelona, with the La Liga giants seeking at least €25 million for the forward. The Premier League club is expected to return with a renewed bid, but it remains to be seen if it will meet the Spanish outfit's demands.
Apart from Aubameyang, Chelsea are also in talks with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong, who has also been made available for transfer. The Netherlands international is also keen to remain at the Camp Nou, and has resisted approaches from the likes of Manchester United this summer.
