Manchester United, Chelsea offered chance to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Chelsea and Manchester United have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona.

According to The Independent, both Manchester United and Chelsea have been offered the chance to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Premier League in the ongoing transfer window. The Gabonese international left Arsenal this past winter to join Barcelona in a free transfer but could be on the move again after just six months.

After falling out of favour under manager Mikel Arteta due to disciplinary issues and getting stripped of the captaincy, Aubameyang’s contract with Arsenal was terminated by mutual consent to facilitate his move to Barcelona in the winter window. The Catalan giants were short on attacking options and were fighting to stay in contention for UEFA Champions League qualification.

The 33-year-old started life as a Barcelona player brilliantly, scoring 11 league goals in 17 matches to help the Blaugrana finish second in La Liga. However, things have changed in the ongoing transfer window, with the Catalan club signing Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, pushing Aubameyang down the pecking order.

Barcelona are now willing to offload Aubameyang to make space for signings and balance their wage bill to register new players. Chelsea were initially the only club that emerged as potential suitors, but as per the report by The Independent, the Red Devils have also been offered the former Borussia Dortmund striker.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United are short on attacking options. While the Blues have allowed Romelu Lukaku to re-join Inter Milan on loan and are selling Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig, Manchester United have seen Edinson Cavani leave as a free agent, while there is still uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s Old Trafford future.

However, Manchester United do not seem too keen on signing Aubameyang, whereas Chelsea are showing serious interest. The Red Devils have been linked with a surprise move for Bologna attacker Marko Arnautovic and even saw their initial bid being turned down by the Serie A club.

Aubameyang had four glorious years at Arsenal, scoring 92 times for them in 163 matches across all competitions while providing 21 assists. He also won an FA Cup with them and finished as Premier League’s top scorer in the 2018/19 season with 22 goals. It will be interesting to see if he returns to England by joining Chelsea, with Manchester United unlikely to land him.