Former rivals star a thorn in Chelsea’s ploy to sign French attacker next summer

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking to hand Chelsea a transfer blow in their pursuit of Ousmane Dembele

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is trying to deal a blow to Chelsea in their attempt to sign Ousmane Dembele in the upcoming summer transfer window. The latter has been linked with an exit from Camp Nou, but his future prospects are still in uncertain waters at this moment.

Dembele is expected to leave Barca at the end of this season when his current contract expires. He can reach a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs as a result, but it seems that it has not happened so far. Xavi Hernandez is eager to tie him down on a new deal and is now being aided in that matter by his winter signing Aubameyang.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Blaugrana side’s Europa League match vs Galatasaray (h/t The Sun), Aubameyang expressed that the decision will ultimately be taken by Dembele himself. However, the former Arsenal man added that he wants his teammate to stay past this season and has spoken to him about the matter as well.

“I’ve spoken with Ousmane Dembele… Him continuing here beyond this season is a decision he has to make, so let’s see. I’d like Ousmane to stay and I’m very happy to play alongside him.”

Cause of concern?

There is nothing to worry about, for now, going by the information revealed in this update. That being said, our primary focus will be to solve the current crisis at Stamford Bridge so that we can bring in reinforcements in the first place. Despite the sanctions, there is a positive sentiment among the fanbase that there will be some leeways in the future to assist us in that regard.

With that in mind, signing the Frenchman on a free transfer would be a great deal on our side, especially after the financial hit we have suffered due to these limitations. While there are concerns about his injury record, that seems to be way behind him, looking at how he has fared with the Catalans since his last injury.

Moreover, Xavi seems to have breathed new life into the 24-year-old as the winger is finally on track to attain the potential he had shown all those years ago. He has been sensational in attack over the past few fixtures and would boost our ranks if he moves to Stamford Bridge.

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Things would not be easy for us as the Gunners and Manchester United are also in the race ahead of next summer. Paris Saint-Germain looked to be close to facilitating a transfer in January, but it never came to fruition in the end. It would not be too much of a reach to say that PSG could still try their cards, especially when the La Liga attacker is available for free.

It remains to be seen what decision would Dembele make regarding his future in the summer transfer window. We are hopeful of a favourable result that will see him decked out in Blue next season.

However, given the government enabled restrictions, the West London side cannot engage in talks for now. Let’s hope to see that obstacle removed at the earliest to help with our interest.