Chelsea pushing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into Saudi Arabia move but talks not progressing
Chelsea have done a spectacular job in offloading players who do not fit in the plans for next season or are deemed surplus to requirements by Mauricio Pochettino. Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also features in the same category where he is not in Chelsea’s plans and the Blues have been trying to offload him this summer.
The West London outfit have sold 10 players with Christian Pulisic being the latest departure and through these sales, over £200 million have been racked up in the Chelsea banks. This squad clear out was one of the main agendas of the summer as the bloated squad had been causing a lot of issues for the manager.
Chelsea are still looking to sell several players like Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Aubameyang. The futures of Conor Gallagher also remain in doubt as a good offer could tempt the Blues to cash in on the English midfielder.
Last summer, Chelsea signed Aubameyang from Barcelona for £10 million as Lukaku had left for Inter Milan. The Gabonese reunited with Thomas Tuchel and had expected to be a regular part of the plans but Tuchel’s sacking disrupted the whole plan and Graham Potter wasn’t a big fan of the former Arsenal striker.
Aubameyang struggled to get going under Potter and was eventually dropped out of the team. In fact, the Gabon international was even omitted from the match day squads on multiple occasions and it became abundantly clear that Chelsea would push to sell Aubameyang.
Several sides were linked in January with a return to Barcelona also mooted. Aubameyang was also linked with a move to Los Angeles FC but the player wanted to stay in Europe. This summer, Chelsea’s stance remains the same. They want to get rid of the 34 year old with Saudi Arabian clubs keen on Aubameyang. Al Ahli and Al Shabab had approached the former Dortmund striker.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are insisting on Aubameyang’s sale to Saudi clubs. Discussions have been taking place between Chelsea and interested Saudi clubs but talks are not advancing to the final stages. Clubs from Europe are also keen on the 34 year old but the stumbling block has been Aubameyang’s salary at Chelsea.
The Gabon striker earns £160,000 per week at Stamford Bridge and still has one more year left on his deal. The Blues could still get a transfer fee for Aubameyang, hence, terminating his contract is not an ideal option.
