Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Man Utd offered Barcelona striker but three concerns remain and Prem rivals open talks

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona played at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Manchester United are reportedly considering the possibility of signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang amid claims Barcelona are offering them the chance to bring the striker back to the Premier League.

The prolific forward only moved to Camp Nou in January after bringing an end his rollercoaster spell at Arsenal. Stripped of the team captaincy and having fallen out with Mikel Arteta, there is, however, little doubt of Aubameyang’s goalscoring prowess. Indeed, he departed the Gunners having scored 92 goals in 163 appearances for the club.

He quickly settled in at Barcelona too, registering an impressive 13 goals in 23 games for Xavi Hernandez’s side.

However, Aubameyang’s future at the club is already under the spotlight. While having done little wrong, the club’s signing of Robert Lewandowski puts question marks over Aubameyang’s first-team prospects.

And with Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha also at their disposal, the 33-year-old faces a tough fight for his place.

As such, Aubameyang has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea.

The Blues are in the market for a new central striker having offloaded Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. And with Timo Werner on the brink of returning to RB Leipzig in a cut-price move, Chelsea do have a lack of options up front.

A move to bring him to Stamford Bridge would also make a lot of sense. The player was always settled living in London, while he’s also worked under Thomas Tuchel before at Borussia Dortmund.

However, reports in Spain claim Barcelona are also offering the striker to Manchester United.

The Red Devils are in the market for more firepower, amid recent and surprising links to Marko Arnautovic. However, with the Red Devils pulling out of a prospective deal for the Austrian, links to Aubayemang are growing.

Man Utd have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang concerns

However, United are still to weigh up whether to move for the former Arsenal striker.

Indeed, summer 2022 is not the first time United have been linked with Aubayemang. To that end, he was reportedly a name they considered back when he was leaving Dortmund.

And a historical report in The Athletic has outlined three reasons why the club has previously distanced themselves from a move.

At the time, Aubameyang – whom Dortmund rated at £70m – was valued more than United were willing to spend. Furthermore, they were not sure how the striker would fit in with their forward line, which, at the time boasted Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

And the third factor was his age, with the player 29 at the time of his move.

Now 33, that remains a potential concern for Manchester United. However, with Ronaldo still going strong at 37, there is a growing belief the world’s elite strikers can still play on well towards their 40s.

While his fee will no longer be a concern – Barcelona are unlikely to want silly money for the striker – how he would fit into their system might.

All its stands, a move to bring him to Old Trafford remain uncertain. However, with Arnautovic off the agenda, perhaps the former Arsenal skipper could come into the equation.

Chelsea open talks for striker

If United are to make their move, they are going to have to act quickly.

That’s amid claims in Spain that Chelsea have opened negotiations for his signature.

Per transfer journalist Gerard Romero, discussions over a potential move to Stamford Bridge are now underway.

He claims intermediary Eugenio Botas has been spotted at the LaLiga side’s offices. Botas played a leading role in the transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng to Barcelona in January.

And with Barcelona open to his sale, Romero claims Botas is there to help grease the wheels over a potential move.

The LaLiga giants are still hampered by their financial restrictions. And as things stand, they remain unable to register a glut of their new signings.

They are actively looking to offload a number of big names this summer, with several already on the move.

But their bid to push Frenkie de Jong out the door remains up in the air. Chased by United and Chelsea, the player appears unwilling to depart Camp Nou.

And it’s little wonder to see Barcelona looking to offload other big name earners deemed surplus to requirements.

To that end, president Joan Laporta wants Martin Braithwaite, Memphis Depay and Samuel Umtiti sold on as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, United are also reportedly on the trail of a prolific Dutch winger with Erik ten Hag seeking an upgrade on Marcus Rashford.