Football News: Chelsea is preparing an offer for Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became an instant hit after joining Barcelona in a free January transfer window.

Despite winning the Golden Boot in his first season at Arsenal, the 33-year-old had left in disgrace. But the former Arsenal captain wasted little time establishing himself at FC Barcelona.

However, Aubameyang could make a surprise return to the Premier League, with Chelsea, Arsenal's London rivals, allegedly in talks to recruit the experienced striker.

According to transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea is mulling a bid for Aubameyang, with Barcelona willing to unload the forward just six months after signing him to a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Chelsea's interest stems from their inability to identify a replacement for Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian international has returned to Inter Milan on loan and will likely never play for Chelsea again.

While Lukaku has left Stamford Bridge, Chelsea is yet to sign a new striker.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is also thought to be putting 'pressure' on owner Todd Boehly to make a reasonable bid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he wants to bolster his attacking options.

Following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha on a free transfer from Arsenal in January, the Barcelona forward could be on his way out of his current club.

Tuchel addressed the apparent interest in Aubameyang last week after being asked about his 79 goals in 95 games as manager.

"I would be interested in the 79 goals, actually. We will not comment further," Tuchel said. "There are a lot of names out there, sometimes it's due to the fact that we discuss a lot of names and sometimes it's pure speculation and we will not get involved."

The Arsenal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga

Aubameyang was Arsenal's central striker until the end of 2021 when he was demoted and dropped for disciplinary grounds.

His last game was on December 6 in a 2-1 loss to Everton, and he left for Barcelona by mutual consent on February 1.

The Gabonese international was left out of the squad as Arsenal sought a buyer for the striker during the January transfer window.

Barcelona stepped into talks with Arsenal but was unwilling to pay a transfer price for the forward, opting instead to sign him on a short-term loan agreement.

The trade story took a dramatic turn when Aubameyang was photographed at Barcelona airport despite Arsenal's refusal to permit him to leave.

Aubameyang would join Barcelona after Arsenal mutually terminated the striker's contract.

The Gunners did not receive a transfer fee for Aubameyang but saved about £25 million in salary.

Aubameyang went on to have an outstanding debut season at the Nou Camp, scoring 13 goals in 23 outings across all competitions.

However, with the acquisition of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, the 33-year-old is set to fall lower down the pecking order at Barcelona this season.