Manchester United make ‘fresh approach’ for Aubameyang as Chelsea fail to make progress — reports

Chelsea have still not made any concrete progress in our efforts to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, despite having agreed personal terms long time ago, with a two-year deal plus an option for a third on the table.

The Blues have maintained continuous dialogue with Barcelona, and while we have offered £15m plus Marcos Alonso, Barca are holding out for £20m plus add-ons and minus Marcos Alonso, as per the Evening Standard and Diario Sport. It is still entirely possible that we’ll reach a compromise over the price, with Thomas Tuchel pushing for a reunion with his former striker at Borussia Dortmund.

However, Chelsea’s pursuit could get a tad bit complicated, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that Manchester United have joined the race. United want to reinforce their attacking line, and have made a “fresh approach” for the 33-year-old’s services.

For their part, Barcelona still need to strike a deal to help them get out of their financial quandary.

While Chelsea remain in the driver’s seat, the longer we delay, the easier it will be for other teams to enter the conversation (as it happens in just about any transfer deal).

Meanwhile, in possibly related news (i.e. one in, one out), Callum-Hudson Odoi is edging closer the purported season-long loan to Bayer Leverkusen, with only the final details of the agreement left to be ratified, according to Sky Deutschland.

The current hold-up is with respect to the inclusion of a buy-option. Chelsea are seemingly open to setting it at €30m, which is in line with the player’s valuation. However, Leverkusen can neither pay nor want to pay this amount, and are trying to lower the fee. Regardless, this move is expected to go through in the coming days.