Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could soon be heading Stateside with LAFC among the suitors. The Gabon international’s future is currently in the air after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea. Blues boss Graham Potter recently left Aubameyang off of his Champions League roster. This means that the 33-year-old forward will not feature in the competition for the remainder of the season.
The star striker has had a tough time since departing Arsenal a year ago. Although he did perform well at Barcelona, Aubameyang was quickly pushed aside for Robert Lewandowski. In fact, the Gabon star scored 11 goals in his first 17 LaLiga games with Barca. However, he was relegated to the bench once the Spanish giants brought in Lewandowski.
LAFC need scorer like Aubameyang after key departures
After just seven months in Spain, Aubameyang then moved to Chelsea. And it’s safe to say that his time in west London has not gone to plan. Enter Los Angeles Football Club. The reigning MLS champions recently lost Gareth Bale and Cristian Arango and need some new firepower. Arango led the club in scoring last season.
MLS insider Tom Bogert revealed on Monday that LAFC are currently in talks to possibly sign Aubameyang. However, the American club would most likely need Chelsea to cover much of the Gabonese’s salary. Aubameyang’s current contract with the Blues is reportedly around $190,000 each week.
There’s no secret that Aubameyang would like to leave Chelsea. Barcelona were even interested in bringing him back to the Camp Nou in the January window. Nevertheless, financial restrictions on the club prevented any possible move for the player.
Rules could favor a move to MLS
FIFA rules typically prevent a player from representing three different clubs in one season. Although Aubameyang moved to Chelsea in September, he did play one game for Barca during the current campaign. This essentially rules out the Gabonese from playing for another UEFA club.
Nevertheless, there is a loophole to the rule. FIFA states that “a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season.” Because MLS starts their season in February, this transfer could potentially work.
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