The Aubameyang deal, which will take left-back Marcos Alonso in the opposite direction from Barcelona, was valued at €14m (£12m) and took Chelsea’s spending on incoming fees under new co-owner Todd Boehly to over £250m “It’s an honor to be part of this team and I can’t wait to get started,” said Aubameyang. “I’ve got some unfinished business with the Premier League so it’s good to be back and really exciting.” It has been a frantic summer with Boehly, acting as sporting director, casting his nets far and wide in a bid to make his mark after taking over from Roman Abramovich and reshape the squad for Tuchel – especially after his departures Antonio with free transfers. Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen. The centre-half moved to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively after Chelsea were unable to offer them new contracts while Abramovich was under sanctions from the UK government. Chelsea have spent big on central defensive reinforcements, signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for £33.8m and Wesley Fofana from Leicester for £75m. A late £77.5m bid for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol has been rejected, with the Croatia international extending his contract on Thursday until 2027. “Retweet and let everyone know: Josko Gvardiol is staying,” announced Leipzig. Chelsea could try for him again. Aubameyang returns to London, where he played for Arsenal – a four-year spell that burned brightly before collapsing spectacularly in the first half of last season – and is back with Tuchel. The manager had him for two seasons until the summer of 2017 at Dortmund and enjoyed a great relationship with him, describing him as “a bit crazy but nice crazy”. Aubameyang scored 79 goals in 95 games under Tuchel in all competitions. Tuchel approved Romelu Lukaku’s loan return to Internazionale in June and has sought more flexible and mobile options up front, signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for £50m. Aubameyang adds further to the mix, capable of operating centrally or on the left. Tuchel may also call on Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, among others. Aubameyang had moved to Barcelona at the end of last season’s winter window after being forced out of Arsenal by manager Mikel Arteta, and scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for the club before the end of the season. The 33-year-old has barely featured this time around, making just one brief appearance from the substitutes’ bench as manager Xavi Hernandez has loaned out summer signings Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Aubameyang and his family were the target of an armed burglary at their home in Barcelona last weekend. The thugs attacked Aubameyang, damaging his jaw – an injury which could delay his Chelsea debut. Tuchel was keen for a new midfielder and, amid a flurry of bids for several players, moved for Zakaria – the 25-year-old Switzerland international, who joined Juventus in January from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Chelsea had tried to sign Ajax’s Edson Alvarez, PSV Eindhoven’s Ibrahim Sangare and Dynamo Moscow’s Arsene Zakharian, who has a £12.6m release clause. The Russian club released a statement detailing the receipt of an offer from Chelsea and the negotiations. “However, due to some technical reasons beyond our control, it is not possible to transfer the player this summer,” added Dynamo. “However, our club remains open to proposals that will suit Dynamo and the player. For now, the parties have decided that Arsene will continue to play for Dynamo.” Alonso, who made 212 appearances for Chelsea in six seasons, is surplus to requirements following the £55million capture of Mark Cucurella from Brighton. Chelsea sent Ethan Abdou to Spezia on loan, Kennedy to Real Valladolid and sold Billy Gilmour to Brighton.
