Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joins Olympique Marseille

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has ended his horror spell in London after completing a deal to join Ligue 1 giants Olympique Marseille.

The French club have announced the arrival of the 34-year-old striker, who joins on a free transfer after signing a three-year contract keeping him at the Orange Velodrome until the summer of 2026.

Aubameyang joined Chelsea in a deadline-day transfer last summer, renewing acquaintances with former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel following their time at Borussia Dortmund.

However, their reunion did not last long as Tuchel was sacked shortly after, which signalled the start of a troubled spell for Aubameyang.

The forward soon fell behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order and was subsequently axed from the Champions League squad under Graham Potter.

Chelsea tried to offload Aubameyang in the January transfer window. They agreed a deal with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC, but the transfer did not materialise.

Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival did not change Aubameyang’s fate as the Blues were still eager to cut ties with the Gabonese striker, so much so that they allowed him to join Marseille without demanding a transfer fee.

Aubameyang bagged three goals and an assist in 21 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea. He will now begin a new chapter in his eventful career in France.

Marseille will represent Aubameyang’s fourth club in the last 18 months after leaving Arsenal to join Spanish heavyweights Barcelona in February last year.

Aubameyang becomes the 16th senior player to leave Chelsea in what has been an exodus at Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window.

The Blues have already sold Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Ethan Ampadu, raising around £218 million in the process.

Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante and Abdul-Rahman Baba have departed on free transfers, while David Datro Fofana has joined Bundesliga club Union Berlin on a season-long loan.

There could still be more departures from Chelsea this summer, with the club looking to offload Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech.