Football Transfers: Barcelona target re-signing Chelsea 'out of favour' Aubameyang as Lewandowski competition

Spanish giants and ‘soon to be’ Spanish giants Barcelona are expected to re-sign former star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having fallen out of favour at Chelsea. The Gabonese international is one of the two Premier League stars targeted by Xavi Hernandez’s side with Roberto Firmino also on the cards. While Aubameyang is still contracted to Chelsea until 2024, he is expected to leave the West London outfit, with him already out of favour during the current season as he was not registered for the Champions League.

Aubameyang on the move

It is worth noting Aubameyang signed for Barcelona in 2022 January having fallen out of favour with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. However, Barcelona’s pursuit of Robert Lewandowski in the summer of 2022 saw Aubameyang surplus to requirements and was shifted on a permanent move to Chelsea who paid £10.3m for his signature. However, Aubameyang’s dismal form continued to see him drop out of the Champions League squad for the knockouts and was not registered after Chelsea had brought in several players.

For Barcelona, it will be going back to the drawing board as they try to provide competition for Lewandowski. Interestingly, both the Poland captain and Aubameyang had stellar rivalry when they competed for top honours in the Bundesliga. Both won the Golden Boot in the Bundesliga while in the opposition camp but could soon get re-united with his former foe.

Firmino also on move

While Aubameyang is still contracted with Chelsea, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino’s move is definitely on after he refused to sign a new contract. It is expected that Barcelona could land Firmino on a free transfer and save some cash in the transfer. The move also makes sense as Barcelona could save significant funds that could help them financially in Lionel Messi’s pursuit.

Interestingly, Aubameyang has a good track record with Barcelona having scored 13 goals in 24 La Liga matches while he has scored only three times in the Premier League for Chelsea. A move for either player could yet make sense as Barcelona will likely look to defend their La Liga crown next season, with them needing 14 more points to be crowned the Spanish champions for the first time since 2019.

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