Auba and out? Chelsea flop picks his next club – but there’s a catch

Robin Bairner

• 17 Jul 2023 21:55 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is close to reaching a contractual accord with Marseille and wants to complete a move to the Ligue 1 side, according to reports in France.

Aubameyang forced his way to Chelsea from Barcelona in the summer of 2022 but endured a frustrating season at Stamford Bridge, where he played only 21 matches and scored three goals for the club.

The striker is one of the Blues’ undesirable players after that disappointing performance but offloading the 34-year-old had promised to be a chore given that he has a year left on a contract that is reportedly worth €180,000 per week.

According to FootMercato, though, Marseille are closing in on a move for the former Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal forward, who had scored 11 times in 17 LaLiga games for Barcelona in six months before returning to the Premier League with the Blues.

OM’s ambitious recruitment policy this summer, which has seen them sign Geoffrey Kondogbia and Renan Lodi from Atletico Madrid, has reportedly been one of the factors that has helped convince Aubameyang to join a club that is heading into the Champions League qualifying rounds in July.

Aubameyang to Marseille: the only problem

The only serious hurdle between Marseille and Aubameyang appears to be an agreement with Chelsea over the player’s transfer fee, which is the only thing missing at present.

The prospect of OM spending big on the striker is not high given that his wages will stretch their wage bill, and they will be hopeful that the Blues’ eagerness to see a player with an Expected Transfer value (ETV) of €11 million will be allowed cheaply.

Indeed, given that Aubameyang is out of contract next summer and has not been included in the Chelsea squad to tour the USA, the Ligue 1 side will doubtless be hoping that they can simply persuade the Blues to release Aubameyang and allow him to join on a free transfer.