Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea flop gets January exit chance as La Liga giants plot shock move, with telling contact already made

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech on bench during Chelsea game

Chelsea should be able to part ways with an expensive flop this month, as he has reportedly been offered the chance to play in Spain.

Things are not going well for Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge right now. Chelsea have won just once in their last eight matches in all competitions. In that time, the Blues have been beaten twice by Manchester City, losing to both Newcastle and Aston Villa as well.

Potter is still early into his Chelsea project. But with the team dropping points at almost every turn, there is already talk of him being sacked.

According to The Sun, senior Chelsea officials are currently deciding whether to give him more time or change things up. Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is being considered as a possible replacement, should Potter get the axe.

Chelsea’s game against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Thursday will be crucial. If they lose that match, then Potter will likely be searching for a new job come the morning. But if Chelsea win, then it should be a different story.

Amid all the rumours about the manager, Chelsea are taking great steps to improve the senior squad. They have signed David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Andrey Santos. And earlier on Wednesday, the club announced the arrival of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

When joining, the Portuguese said: “Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge.”

Felix will rival Kai Havertz for a starting spot in west London. His signing could spell the end of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s underwhelming time at Chelsea, though.

Striker has struggled for Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel brought Aubameyang in from Barcelona in the summer, following Romelu Lukaku’s move back to Inter Milan. But Aubameyang managed just one Chelsea appearance before Tuchel was sacked and replaced by Potter.

The former Arsenal captain has looked past his best for Chelsea. And just three goals have come his way in 15 Blues matches so far this term.

Wednesday’s Transfer Gossip suggested Aubameyang could go in the opposite direction to Felix and join Atleti in January. As per the Daily Mail, Diego Simeone’s team are interested in taking him on board.

However, under FIFA regulations, Aubameyang cannot play for a new team this season as he has already represented both Barcelona and Chelsea.

Sport Witness provide an update on Aubameyang’s situation, while citing Spanish journalist Gerard Romero. It is claimed Barcelona are planning a shock reunion with him.

Barca have apparently made contact with La Liga officials to see whether they would be able to sign Aubameyang without breaking the salary cap rules. The most likely scenario is for the Blaugrana to sell either Memphis Depay or Franck Kessie before making a bid for Aubameyang.

Xavi discusses Barca return with Aubameyang

Plus, Xavi has supposedly spoken with the 33-year-old about a prospective move back to Catalonia. Aubameyang would welcome the transfer with open arms as he is missing Barca badly.

Barca have told Aubameyang to sit tight and wait until they can get Depay or Kessie out of the door. Should this happen, then they might just have the finances to begin negotiations with Chelsea.

It would be a huge shock if Aubameyang returned to Barca. He joined them in January 2022 after falling out with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Barca picked Aubameyang up on a free transfer as Arsenal were that desperate to get him gone. And the move proved to be a masterstroke for Barca, with Aubameyang bagging 11 goals in 17 La Liga matches during the second half of last season.

But Barca signed Robert Lewandowski from Bayern in summer 2022, and this left Aubameyang surplus to requirements. This is why he opted to return to England with Chelsea.

Due to the speed at which Barca offloaded Aubameyang, it would be a big surprise if he wanted to re-join them. In addition, he would struggle to get into Xavi’s starting lineup ahead of Lewandowski. This is because the latter is already on 18 goals for the season.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have gotten lucky as they have another opportunity to sign a Brazilian winger.