The Blues will sign former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from FC Barcelona on Deadline Day, barring any late hitches. According to Fabrizio Romano, after weeks of negotiations, the English giants and the Blaugrana have settled on a transfer fee. Chelsea giants will pay their Spanish counterparts 14 million euros and send Marcos Alonso the other way to complete the deal.
Aubameyang will return to London on a two-plus-one-year deal, reuniting with Thomas Tuchel, who coached the Gabon international for a short while at Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will also attempt to sign Ajax’s defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez on Deadline Day – according to reports in the Netherlands. The Blues have bid 50 million euros for the Mexico international, who has refused to train with Ajax to force through a move to England in the coming hours.
Elsewhere, following their injury crisis in the center of the park, Liverpool have dipped into the market to bring in a new midfielder. As per the rumors, that midfielder is Juventus’ Arthur, whom the Reds will sign on loan for the remainder of the season. An option to buy the player outright won’t be included in the agreement between the two clubs, meaning Arthur will return to Turin upon the expiration of the loan period.
Arsenal, according to widespread reports, will attempt to strike a deal with Aston Villa for Brazilian central midfielder Douglas Luiz in the coming hours. Villa, meanwhile, have responded early by agreeing to sign Belgium international Leander Dendoncker from Wolves for a 13 million pound fee.
The Gunners also hope to resolve the future of Hector Bellerin before the end of Deadline Day. The Spaniard spent the previous season on loan at Real Betis, who have since backed out of a permanent deal due to financial troubles. Instead, the Spaniard is now closing in on a transfer to Barcelona, where he will replace AC Milan-bound Sergino Dest.