Chelsea agree deal for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Chelsea has agreed on a deal in principle worth £12m, plus defender Marcus Alonso, for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, says Guillem Balague.

The Blues are also close to completing a loan deal for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria.

The 25-year-old Swiss international would boost Chelsea’s midfield options.

Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 24 appearances for Barca after joining the Spanish club in February from Arsenal.

The 33-year-old had a buyout clause of 100m euros (£83.4m) in his contract but has only played eight minutes this season.

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Former Gabon international Aubameyang scored 92 goals in 163 games in all competitions for Arsenal but left on a free transfer after falling out with manager Mikel Arteta.

That departure played a big part in the Gunners documentary All or Nothing.

Only four players have scored more Premier League goals than Aubameyang’s total of 68 in the period since 31 January 2018 – the date he joined Arsenal.

Aubameyang worked with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund between 2015 and 2017.

He scored 79 goals in 95 games under the German, 38 more than he netted under any other manager.

This summer the Blues have brought in French defender Wesley Fofana for a fee in the region of £70m, England forward Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for £50m, Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £34m, English midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa for £20m, Spain left-back Marc Cucurella from Brighton for £60m and Italian midfielder Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan.

A deal for Aubameyang would mean Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will have spent almost £250m in his first transfer window since buying the club from Roman Abramovich.