"Chelsea will let him leave for free" - Fabrizio Romano claims Blues star is set to join Ligue 1 club

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly set to join Olympique Marseille on a free transfer.

According to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, Aubameyang has signed a three-year deal with the Ligue 1 side. He added that the Blues allowed him to depart on a Bosman move even though the contract he signed with them last summer expires only in June 2024.

Romano provided the update via his Twitter page on Wednesday, July 19, writing:

"Pierre Aubameyang has agreed to join Olympique Marseille, here we go! Auba will sign three year deal, as called two days ago — until June 2026.

"Chelsea will let him leave for free, told Auba will arrive tonight @ OM camp then undergo medical tests on Thursday. Done."

Aubameyang is the latest high-profile name set to exit Stamford Bridge this summer. The Premier League giants have already sold Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic. N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta have departed on free transfers as well.

They still have to resolve the futures of Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech, both of whom have been linked with moves away that haven't come to fruition so far.

Chelsea have made a few additions, though. Forward Nicolas Jackson has arrived on a £32 million deal after impressing for Villarreal last season. Christopher Nkunku is also set to join from RB Leipzig, as are youngsters Angelo and Andrey Santos.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled in his only season for Chelsea

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang enjoyed an excellent four-year stint with Arsenal, scoring 92 times in 163 matches and even winning the 2018-19 Premier League Golden Boot. However, he never got close to those levels after signing for Chelsea last summer from Barcelona for £12 million.

The Gabonese forward found the back of the net just three times in 21 matches (960 minutes) across competitions. He was also removed from their UEFA Champions League squad after the group stages to register Mykhaylo Mudryk and Joao Felix, who arrived in January.

Aubameyang was notably signed when his former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel was still Chelsea manager. However, he played just 59 minutes under him before Tuchel was sacked in September last year.

The 34-year-old then failed to gather significant minutes under Graham Potter or Frank Lampard, with his departure this summer a largely foregone conclusion.

Olympique Marseille will be the fifth Ligue 1 club of Aubameyang's career. He previously played for AS Saint-Etienne, Dijon FCO, LOSC Lille and AS Monaco. The forward enjoyed the most success at Saint-Etienne, for whom he recorded 41 goals and 25 assists in 97 matches between 2011 and 2013.