Barcelona have made Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang their top transfer target this summer. Aubameyang, who left a lasting impression on the Barca locker room during his time at the club last year, is wanted by the La Liga leaders to replace Robert Lewandowski. The Gabon striker is seen to be a little different alternative for manager Xavi than the Poland captain, but it would be difficult financially to re-sign him from Chelsea, and Firmino will be a free agent when his Liverpool contract expires on July 1. Aubameyang is said to have remained a model employee at Stamford Bridge despite learning he would not be included in Graham Potter’s plans and not being selected for their Champions League playoff team.
The 33-year-old’s mentality is believed to have remained top-notch, and he has trained hard with the goal of continuing to compete for a spot in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in this season’s games against Tottenham and Wolves. Despite this, Aubameyang is still not in Chelsea’s long-term plans, and the club is willing for him to leave this summer as part of what is anticipated to be a sizable player purge given the number of acquisitions they made in the last two transfer windows. Barcelona wanted to re-sign Aubameyang in January but was unable to make the necessary financial commitments.
The club is attempting to negotiate with La Liga for extra flexibility for the upcoming season, which they are hopeful will also see Lionel Messi return, but as things stand, they are still at the upper limit of their financial fair playability. Due to his earlier-than-expected announcement that he would be leaving Anfield, Firmino is now a free agent, making him a viable alternative alongside Marcus Thuram of Borussia Monchengladbach.
The 18-year-old Athletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque is also on the Barcelona list, given that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still has one year remaining on his Chelsea contract and that teams in Italy and Germany are keeping an eye on his status, it is planned to push toward his return to Barcelona in the coming weeks. With Chelsea, the former Arsenal forward has not had a good homecoming to London, scoring just three goals in 20 appearances across all leagues, 10 of which were starts.
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