Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Barcelona attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a fee in the region of £10 million plus Marcos Alonso, according to Sky Sports.
Aubameyang will sign a two-year deal with the option of a third.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been pushing for Aubameyang to add more firepower to his floundering frontline. They worked together at Borussia Dortmund.
The former Arsenal captain scored 79 goals in 95 games for Dortmund under Tuchel.
Aubameyang only left the Premier League in January 2022 to join Barcelona after four seasons with Arsenal.
He scored 13 goals and finished as the club’s joint top scorer alongside Memphis Depay. Aubameyang netted 21 goals in all competitions last season.
However, the arrival of former teammate Robert Lewandowski will reduce his playing time.
The 33-year-old has only made one appearance for Barcelona this season. His only goal contribution came in their recent friendly against Manchester City.
Aubameyang was prolific in his four years in England. He scored 92 goals and provided 21 assists in 163 games.
Tuchel and Chelsea will want plenty of goals after losing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
To sign Aubameyang, Chelsea cult hero and left-wing-back Marcos Alonso will go the other way. The Spanish international has returned to his native Spain after six years in London.
The 31-year-old scored 29 goals and assisted 23 more in 229 appearances for the Blues.
He has scored some popular goals for the club, but the arrival of countryman Marc Cucurella has pushed him down the pecking order.
Alonso will now join Barcelona, following in his father’s footsteps. The elder Marcos Alonso played for the Catalan club for five seasons.
Chelsea have been one of the most active clubs this summer and will now add Aubameyang to their squad as they bid to challenge for honours.
The Blues are still linked with a deadline-day move for Ajax defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez. There are also rumours about a late enquiry into the possibility of signing Dutch international Memphis Depay.
