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Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee with Barcelona for the transfer of striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabon international endured a torrid final few months at Arsenal before departing in January, failing to rediscover his old form and being stripped of the captaincy by Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang’s contract was terminated to allow him to join Barcelona, and he proceeded to reignite his career with the Catalan giants after hitting 13 goals in 23 games during his debut season.
The 33-year-old established himself as Xavi’s first-choice striker during the second half of last season, but the arrival of Robert Lewandowski has pushed him down the pecking order.
Aubameyang’s contract at Camp Nou runs until the summer of 2025, but the Catalan giants are said to be open to a sale for the right price as they endeavour to balance the books before the transfer deadline.
Chelsea have long been linked with a move for the ex-Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund man, with Thomas Tuchel allowing Romelu Lukaku to re-sign for Inter Milan on loan.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea and Barcelona have now come to an agreement over a fee, and Marcos Alonso will also head to Camp Nou as part of the deal to bring Aubameyang back to the Premier League.
The report adds that Aubameyang has also agreed personal terms with the Blues and is set to travel to the UK later on Thursday to complete his permanent switch back to the English capital.
A separate update from journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Chelsea will fork out €14m (£12.1m) for Aubameyang’s services as he prepares to compete with Kai Havertz for the striker’s spot.
Chelsea are supposedly set to hand Aubameyang a two-year contract until the summer of 2024, and an additional 12 months could be triggered based on how many fixtures he plays in 2023-24.
A return to London for Aubameyang was plunged into doubt a few days ago after the striker and his family were targeted by robbers at his home, as the criminals threatened and beat him on Sunday night.
Aubameyang is believed to have suffered a broken jaw in the incident and confirmed that he had sustained an injury in the area during the incident, although the severity of the damage was not specified.
Nevertheless, Aubameyang is now seemingly set to return to the Premier League less than a year after penning terms with Barcelona, whom he has only played eight minutes for in the 2022-23 La Liga season.
Aubameyang ended his first stint in the Premier League with 68 goals and 16 assists from 126 appearances in the competition and is poised to reunite with Tuchel following their successful stint at Borussia Dortmund.
Should the transfer go through before the deadline, Aubameyang would become Chelsea’s seventh summer signing after Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Gabriel Slonina and Carney Chukwuemeka.