Chelsea, Barcelona part-exchange deal for Aubameyang and Marcos Alonso back on — reports

After weeks and weeks of spinning wheels and going absolutely nowhere, the impending closure of the transfer window in less than 24 hours appears to have finally motivate all concerned to get not only the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deal done, but also the Marcos Alonso one.

And in fact, if Gianluca Di Marzio’s to be believed, they will be done as part of the same deal, a part-exchange with “an adjustment” — i.e. cash — in favor of Barcelona.

We’ve of course heard this before, with said “adjustment” reportedly around £15m at the time. Barca knocked that back, wanting a straight cash deal instead, but Chelsea haven’t appeared too keen on that, especially with Alonso still just sitting on his hands at Cobham.

UPDATE: Most recent reports talk of the cash component being just €7.5m, with Barca wanting €13m — either way, less than £15m, and perhaps significantly.

This version of the deal always made the most sense, even adjusting for the rarity and added complexity of “trading” in European football, so hopefully we can indeed figure out a resolution.

Aubameyang may be out for a few weeks following the assault he suffered during the recent armed robbery and home invasion, but he expects to be back in no time, scoring for whichever team he ends up with this season!