Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a robbery at his house earlier in the week, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Aubameyang was assaulted in the early hours of Monday morning when a gang broke into his home equipped with firearms and iron bars.
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Club sources initially said Aubameyang and his wife — who were handcuffed during the burglary with their kids also inside the property in Castelldefels, just outside of Barcelona — did not receive serious injuries.
But sources have now confirmed to ESPN that the former Arsenal striker did break his jaw during the break-in and will be out for around three weeks, which could have implications on a proposed move to Chelsea.
Barca and Chelsea held talks on Tuesday over a deal for Aubameyang and will meet again on Wednesday to discuss a possible transfer.
The Premier League side have made it clear from the start they do not want to pay over €20 million for the forward, while Barca were initially holding out for more than €25m.
The injury to Aubameyang’s jaw has slightly changed the situation in terms of negotiations, however, with a loan to the west London club emerging as a possible solution.
Barca coach Xavi Hernandez is happy to keep Aubameyang but the club’s need to reduce their wage bill to fund other business before the transfer window closes this week has forced them to listen to offers.
Aubameyang, 33, only arrived in January on a free transfer from Arsenal, but he has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou following the summer signings of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha