Aubameyang back in EPL after joining Chelsea

LONDON (AP):

Chelsea signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona before the summer transfer window closed last night, giving manager Thomas Tuchel a new striker a season after they couldn’t make it work with Romelu Lukaku.

The 33-year-old Aubameyang returns to the English Premier League (EPL) after just seven months in Barcelona, where he moved after being released by Arsenal. The deal was reportedly valued at US$14 million.

“I have some unfinished business with the Premier League, so it’s good to be back and really exciting,” said Aubameyang, who has signed a two-year contract in a transfer announced by Chelsea nearly 90 minutes after the deadline passed.

The west London-based Chelsea are the biggest spenders in Europe this window after an outlay of about US$280 million.

Aubameyang won’t be immediately available for Chelsea after sustaining a jaw injury in a home invasion this week in Spain. Armed thieves hit the Gabon international in the face and forced him to open a safe for jewellery, authorities said.

Aubameyang, who scored 13 goals in 23 appearances overall for Barcelona, was expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.

The Gabon striker played for Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.

Lukaku is at Inter Milan on a one-year loan deal less than a year after joining Chelsea for US$135 million as the seventh most expensive footballer player ever at the time.