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Italian transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Chelsea are ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Romano went on to state that United's move for the player has been 'ruled out' with Aubameyang now focused on the Chelsea bid. He tweeted:
"No negotiations between Pierre Aubameyang and Man United as things stand. It was ruled out days ago, Pierre is focused on Chelsea bid as he wants UCL football."
Romano added that the player's party will meet with the club's representatives on Thursday, August 18 to discuss personal terms. He also noted that Aubameyang's current coach Xavi Hernandez is unwilling to lose the striker, who joined Barcelona only in January this year:
"New direct contacts on Thursday to discuss personal terms conditions. Xavi, still insisting to keep Auba."
Chelsea and Manchester United are in need of a new centre-forward
Chelsea are ushering in a new era at the club under American owner Todd Boehly and his consortium. They are eager to bring in marquee faces while doing away with the poor performers at the club.
The Blues have already parted ways with Timo Werner by permanently selling him to RB Leipzig. Their other centre-forward, Romelu Lukaku, has been sent back to Inter Milan on a season-long loan after scoring just 15 goals in 44 games last season.
This has left Thomas Tuchel short of strikers at the club and might explain why the club are keen to sign Aubameyang this summer. Despite playing without a recognized striker, the Blues have picked up a win and a draw in their first two Premier League games of the season.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are in a rut at the moment. Their summer rebuild under Erik ten Hag has not gone according to plan, which has directly impacted their results on the pitch. They are currently bottom of the Premier League standings after two matches.
In attack, United parted ways with Edinson Cavani, whose contract expired on June 30. Their other veteran forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, reportedly wants out of the club as well.
That leaves Ten Hag with the out-of-sorts Marcus Rashford and the unreliable Anthony Martial as striker options. While the former scored five goals in total last season, Martial, despite making a good start to the pre-season, is currently out injured.
Manchester United will also need to prepare for Ronaldo's potential exit as his current contract expires next summer. Signing Aubameyang could help them in the short term before they find a younger striker.
