£160k-a-week ‘liability’ now ‘almost certain’ to leave Stamford Bridge

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is “almost certain” to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has told GIVEMESPORT.

Mauricio Pochettino will look to put his own stamp on the Blues squad in his first season at the helm in west London.

Chelsea transfer news – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

According to Sports Zone (via The Sun), Aubameyang is close to sealing his exit from Chelsea, with the striker in talks to sign for one of the four clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia.

This could mean plying for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, champions Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli or Al-Hilal next term.

An agreement could be close with Chelsea wanting to rid themselves of the 33-year-old before he enters the last year of his £160,000 per-week contract in the next few weeks.

Aubameyang will have fallen further down the pecking order by the time the Premier League season kicks off in April, with RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku arriving in west London this summer.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has also indicated to GIVEMESPORT that Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund are potential targets for the Blues as Pochettino looks to bolster his forward line.

And Sheth has also claimed that Barcelona are interested in re-signing Aubameyang this summer, as his time at Stamford Bridge appears to reach its conclusion.

What has Sheth said about Chelsea and Aubameyang?

Sheth told GIVEMESPORT: “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it is almost certain that he will leave.

“There is a lot of interest from Saudi clubs. There’s interest from Barcelona as well.

“Xavi didn’t want to let him go in the first place. He felt bad when he had to force Aubameyang to go to Chelsea.”

How has Aubameyang performed during his time at Chelsea?

Aubameyang’s time at Chelsea couldn’t have gone much worse, having been called a “liability” by ESPN FC pundit Craig Burley after the Blues’ 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in May.

The 63-cap Gabon international made 21 appearances for the west London outfit this term, hitting the back of the net three times and providing a singular assist, as a side managed by Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard flopped to an embarrassing 12th place finish in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, the former Barcelona man’s average WhoScored rating of 6.12 for his displays in the top flight ranked him as the second-lowest-performing player in the squad this season, indicating that his output has been underwhelming.

Therefore, it’s clear why Chelsea are looking to cut ties with Aubameyang as the player and club try to move on from a poor season for both parties.