Report: £84m star who quit Arsenal tells Tuchel he won’t sign for Chelsea

Follow us on Google Discover

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reportedly told Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel that he wants to remain with FC Barcelona, with the Catalan giants also intent on keeping the former Arsenal striker for the season.

According to the Mirror, the Gabon attacker has thanked the Blues for their interest in his services but also informed his former Borussia Dortmund manager that he has no intention of signing for Chelsea, with Barcelona eager the keep hold of the 33-year-old attacker despite the recent arrival of Robert Lewandowski.

With a reported release clause of €100m (£84m), Chelsea would have had to shed a huge amount of money to meet Barcelona’s demands, though recent reports suggest that a £25m offer has been sent to the La Liga side this week, which has seemingly been rejected.

A former Arsenal captain, Aubameyang returning to England to play for a London rival in Chelsea as well as under a former manager would have been a blow for fans of the Gunners, though with Barcelona now having plans to keep the attacker, these fears have now disappeared.

Indeed, even with Lewandowski on their books, Aubameyang looks set for a big role at Barcelona this season off the bench and as cover in the front-line, and with Xavi now deciding to keep the forward for the year, the attacker could be set for a big campaign with the La Liga titans.

With Aubameyang hitting an impressive 13 goals for Barcelona last season in just five months, the attacker will be crucial in Xavi’s quest to win silverware this season, and for Chelsea, they will have to go back to the drawing board with the transfer plans once again scuppered by the Catalan side.

Barcelona deciding to keep Aubameyang is huge for Spanish football

Aubameyang returning to the Premier League in the form of Chelsea would have been a disappointing conclusion to the forward’s time at Barcelona, but with the attacker now set to stay in La Liga, the decision could be seen as a huge result for Spanish football.

After all, Barcelona have now managed to keep one of the biggest names in the game on their books, and alongside Lewandowski, Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati, Xavi now has arguably one of the best attacking groups in all of world football for the new season, with Aubameyang set for a big role.