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Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is close to putting his Stamford Bridge nightmare behind him this summer.
The Gabon international joined the Blues from La Liga giants Barcelona last September, signing a two-year contract with the West London club.
But that deal looks certain to be brought to an abrupt end, with Aubameyang set to join the long list of players leaving Chelsea in the current transfer window.
Chelsea striker reaches agreement with Marseille
Aubameyang struggled massively upon his return to the Premier League, having previously shone at Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal.
The 34-year-old earned cult hero status thanks to his 92 goals and 21 assists from his 163 Gunners matches, but he has managed just three goals and one assist from his 21 Chelsea matches so far.
That poor form, along with the issue at Chelsea whereby they must offload plenty of players to free up squad space and funds, means Aubameyang is close to leaving Stamford Bridge.
And a return to Ligue 1 is seemingly on the cards, with the striker agreeing personal terms on a three-year deal at Marseille, according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.
The attacker has previously played in the French top flight at Saint-Etienne, as well as both Monaco and Lille while on loan from Serie A club AC Milan at the very beginning of his career.
“Olympique Marseille and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have reached an agreement on three-year contract – until 2026,” Romano noted on Twitter.
“Aubameyang, open to join OM – that’s why Marseille are optimistic, confident to get it done. Negotiations with Chelsea, not expected to be complicated.”
Romano then added: “Olympique Marseille and Chelsea will discuss about Aubameyang this week. Talks scheduled in order to reach an agreement and let Pierre join OM. Personal terms agreed on three-year deal.”
Aubameyang set to be among Chelsea exits
Chelsea have spent a phenomenal amount of money on new players since owner Todd Boehly arrived at Stamford Bridge. And, unsurprisingly, it hasn’t worked out so far, with the Blues enduring a miserable season in all competitions last time out.
The West London club won just 11 of their Premier League matches, drawing 11 and losing the other 16, which resulted in a 12th-place finish in the table.
The turmoil in the Stamford Bridge dugout did not help matters either, with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard all coming and going in the Chelsea hot seat in recent times.
Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino will be the latest to try his luck as the transfers continue for the Blues.
Attackers Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson have arrived for big money, and they certainly won’t be the only new faces in the door this summer, with Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo strongly linked with a move to West London.
And in terms of exits, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta have all left Stamford Bridge this summer.
The departures may not even stop there, with players such as Conor Gallagher, Levi Colwill and Romelu Lukaku also potentially leaving Chelsea in the coming weeks.
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