Chelsea have moved a step closer to signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona after agreeing personal terms with the striker, sources have told ESPN.
The 33-year-old is understood to have accepted in principal a two-year contract with the option of a third year based on the number of appearances made in his second season at Stamford Bridge.
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Talks are continuing between the two clubs to settle on a fee with Barcelona continuing to demand in the region of £20 million while Chelsea are trying to incorporate Marcos Alonso in a player-plus-cash transfer.
Although a fee is yet to be agreed, there is optimism on both sides that a deal can be reached before Thursday’s deadline.
Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during a robbery at his family home in Barcelona and although he may be sidelined for around three weeks, the injury will not prevent a medical taking place or prove prohibitive to a transfer.
Sources have told ESPN that head coach Thomas Tuchel is driving Chelsea’s pursuit of Aubameyang after the pair enjoyed great success together at Borussia Dortmund. Aubameyang scored 79 goals in 95 games across two seasons between 2015 and 2017.
Although Chelsea have already signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City this summer, they have struggled for potency in attack this season, slipping to their second defeat in five matches with a 2-1 loss at Southampton on Tuesday.
Tuchel is keen to bring in a number nine after allowing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to rejoin Inter Milan, on loan, and RB Leipzig respectively and having accepted Barcelona’s willingness to do business,
Aubameyang is open to a return to London despite only moving to Barca in January. Aubameyang fell out of favour under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal over what the club believed were repeated disciplinary breaches and the Gunners subsequently agreed a contract termination to allow him to join Barcelona.