What Aubameyang’s Barcelona move means for Chelsea’s pursuit of £135m winger

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s transfer to Barcelona will have a knock-on effect on Chelsea’s chase for an £135million winger.
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Ex-Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Barcelona could have scuppered Chelsea’s chase of a key target.

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“Let’s hope that there is a chance for this deal to happen, there was certainly a real vibe around this place late this afternoon,” Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill, at Stamford Bridge, said.

“Last night, this morning, PSG looked likely to sign Dembele.

“About four hours ago, we were told Chelsea had been offered to sign Dembele, not the first time this January.

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“They made a further enquiry, Thomas Tuchel enjoyed his time with Dembele at Borussia Dortmund.”

Ousmane Dembele training at Barcelona. Credit: Getty.Ousmane Dembele training at Barcelona. Credit: Getty.
Ousmane Dembele training at Barcelona. Credit: Getty.

However an update on the Arsenal star’s move to Barca has had big impact on this.

It was thought that in order to sign Aubameyang, Barcelona would have to shift a big earner like Dembele to fit that Gabon captain into their salary cap.

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Sky Sports News have said that “Chelsea want to sign Dembele and Dembele wants to come to Chelsea”.

But it is now thought that it is “more likely to happen in the summer”, with time running out before the 11pm deadline.

“That urgency has gone away this evening,” Cotterill said.

Earlier in the window, Barcelona’s hierarchy had said Dembele would leave before the end of the window.

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“It’s clear that Dembele does not want to continue with Barcelona. He doesn’t want to be part of our project,” Barcelona director Alemany announced.

“We told Dembele he has to leave immediately. We expect Ousmane to be sold before January 31.”

Either way it looks like the 24-year-old’s near-five-year stay at the Spanish giants will end either tonight or this summer.

He joined from Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund in a huge £135.5 million deal in 2017.

Dembele has had a stop-start career at Barcelona due to several injury problems, the worst being a hamstring issue in February 2020 that sidelined him for 191 days.

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