Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Barcelona set Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang price tag as Thomas Tuchel gives Chelsea green light for signing

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Barcelona have reportedly given Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang an eye-opening price tag amid Chelsea hoping to reunite Thomas Tuchel with the striker.

Aubameyang played under Tuchel for two seasons at Borussia Dortmund. He hit 79 goals in that period as BVB won the German Cup in 2017.

Chelsea are in discussions with Barcelona over bringing Aubameyang back to the Premier League.

Ahead of the Blues’ clash against Tottenham on Sunday, Tuchel was asked about working with the Gabon international once again.

He essentially gave Chelsea the green light to complete the move by speaking about his ‘close bond’ with Aubameyang.

“This is totally separate from anything that is happening now, but I enjoyed a lot working with Auba while I was at Dortmund,” Tuchel told a press conference.

“Some players stay your players because you were very, very close. And Auba is one of those players.

“There was always straight away this close bond. They always stay your players in a way.”

Clearly, Tuchel would like to work with Aubameyang again. They have a great relationship and the manager knows how to use Aubameyang effectively.

Fabrizio Romano states he is viewed as the ‘perfect striker’ for Tuchel’s system.

Chelsea learn Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cost

While Aubameyang joined Barca on a free transfer from Arsenal in January, He will not arrive at Stamford Bridge on the cheap this summer.

As per journalist Toni Juanmarti, the Spanish giants value their player at £21.1million (€25m). They can demand this fee because Aubameyang still has three years left on his contract at the Nou Camp.

The report claims Chelsea are unwilling to meet this price. Due to this, some negotiation will need to be done before an agreement can be struck.

Juanmarti ends his tweet by revealing Aubameyang is open to moving as long as his contract demands are met by Tuchel’s side.

While Aubameyang is a top goalscorer with plenty of Prem experience, Chelsea should not pay £21.1m for him. He is now 33 years old, which means they will get just two or three years out of him.

Barca are in a worrying financial situation and are having to sell assets to register new players. This is why they are demanding a hefty fee for an ageing player in the form of Aubameyang.

But Chelsea should not play ball. Instead, they should put an opening offer of around £10m on the table. This should force Barca to lower their price.

Chelsea need a new centre-forward after allowing Romelu Lukaku to go back to Inter Milan on loan. And reports claim the deal could last for two seasons, rather than just one.

Aubameyang is under consideration to fill this void due to his great relationship with Tuchel. However, there might be younger, hungrier strikers out there who are better options for the club.

Meanwhile, Cesar Azpilicueta has been speaking about why he chose to remain at Chelsea, amid links with Barca.