Chelsea still interested in Barcelona star who was assaulted at home

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been attacked during an armed robbery at his home in Barcelona. The armed thieves broke into the forward’s house early on Monday morning; as the police reported, the thieves tried to attack the football player and his wife and were then pressured to open the safe so that they could steal the jewellery inside. Four burglars broke into his home and tied up the Barcelona striker and his wife in a burglary. At least four men had entered the garden of his house armed with firearms and iron bars. The outskirts of her house, Castelldefels, had been robbed twice in the last two months. Robbers continue the recent spate of attacks on soccer players. Earlier this month, police found Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski’s watch stolen while signing autographs before training. The Gabonese football player is not the first Barcelona player to experience a house attack; Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba have previously been victims. However, these incidents often occur when the players are away from home, either travelling to an away game or participating at Camp Nou. 

According to GOAL, Chelsea and Aubameyang have reached a personal agreement, which means the transfer is becoming closer. Barca wants £21.4 million for the international from Gabon, and negotiations between the two teams are going well. Aubameyang is expected to sign a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge with a one-year extension option. The footballer presently resides in a hotel after being the victim of a house invasion and robbery last week and is hoping his future will be decided quickly. Aubameyang and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel were colleagues at Borussia Dortmund, and after a shaky start to 2022–23, the head coach is hoping the Gabon international can ignite the team.

Aubameyang signed a five-year contract after leaving Chelsea’s local rivals, Arsenal, on a free transfer. He drastically reduced his pay to make this move, although he was set for a considerable pay raise this season. That pay raise undoubtedly made things more difficult for Barça, who already had many issues with player registrations. Aubameyang’s off-the-books salary would be close to €9 million if he were to be sold.

The Gabonese striker finished as the Catalans’ joint-top scorer in all competitions during his first half of the season with them after making 17 league appearances and tallying 11 goals. Memphis Depay was his teammate in that position. There were rumours that the Dutchman would also go, with Juventus reportedly leading the race to recruit him. The Old Lady could not complete Adrien Rabiot’s transfer to Manchester United; hence the agreement collapsed. United is now the only team that has been somewhat associated with Memphis. In the unlikely event that Cristiano Ronaldo decides to leave, they are keeping an eye on him.