Aubameyang ready to listen to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea proposal

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s is determined to remain at Barcelona but is willing to hear Chelsea out should they make a formal approach.

The former Arsenal captain joined the Catalan giants in January following his acrimonious departure from the Gunners which saw his contract terminated after he fell out with Mikel Arteta.

Aubameyang enjoyed a reputation-restoring second half to last season during which he scored 13 goals in all competitions but his future has suddenly become shrouded in uncertainty.

Barcelona’s perilous financial position, allied to the high-profile arrival of Robert Lewandowski, has dramatically shifted the picture for Aubameyang, little more than six months after he moved to Camp Nou.

🆕 number for @auba! 😎

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2022

According to The Telegraph, Aubameyang’s representatives are set for key talks with Barcelona’s hierarchy today and Chelsea will wait for the outcome of those negotiations before deciding whether or not press ahead with a plan to sign a player who Thomas Tuchel knows well from Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking at the height of his Arsenal exile last December, Tuchel was effusive in his praise of the Gabon international and admitted he felt sorry for his former charge.

He said: ‘I can only say the best things about Auba as a player and as a person.

‘I feel sorry for him that he’s in trouble. This is not where he should be with his kind of quality and the positive character that he has – and I still believe in that.

‘But I’m not involved, and I’m not involved in what’s going on at his club now, and for this I also want to show my respect [to Arsenal] and not be involved and not judge what is right and wrong.

Different number same superpowers 🦸‍♂️ @Auba pic.twitter.com/FlKqJBClwJ

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2022

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‘I just have my picture and my relationship with Auba and this is not affected by that.’

Chelsea are also in talks to sign Aubameyang’s current teammate, Frenkie de Jong, and are said to have agreed a fee to sign the Netherlands international, although the player still needs to be convinced about the merits of moving to Stamford Bridge.

Aubameyang, meanwhile, would ideally fill the void left by the high-profile departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

The Germany international rejoined RB Leipzig on a permanent deal on Tuesday, while Lukaku is likely to spend the next two seasons on loan at Inter following the breakdown in his relationship with Tuchel.