Barcelona forward on Manchester United radar, Tuchel pushing for player – report

Guardian have reported that Manchester United, in an attempt to find a new striker this summer, have shifted their attention towards Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, alongside Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy.

Aubameyang, despite having an excellent half of a season at Barcelona, has been linked to an exit this summer. Chelsea seem to be the front-runners in the race, with Thomas Tuchel pushing for his signature.

Barcelona have placed a €30 million asking price on the forward, but Chelsea refuse to meet it. According to reports, their first verbal offer was in the €15 million region, which has been rejected by the Blaugranes.

Further, Xavi has communicated to the board that he wants Auba to stay at the club, serving as Robert Lewandowski’s deputy this season. With the World Cup mid-way through the season, fatigue could be a huge issue for players, and the coach wants ample room to make changes.

Auba initially signed on a free transfer from Arsenal, and agreed to reduce his wages to join the Catalan giants. He is happy to stay at the club and compete for a starting spot, but his salary is set to hike massively this season, which brings concerns to the administration.

They are already facing problems registering players, and have activated four economic levers, bringing in over €600 million, to solve the issue.

With Memphis Depay closing in on a move to Juventus, too, Barcelona may not be too keen about letting Aubameyang leave.

As it stands, he is part of a six-man attacking crew at hand for Xavi. And while, theoretically, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati can fill in for Lewa, the latter has injury concerns. The same goes for Ousmane Dembele.

As such, it is probably best for the club to stick with the options at hand right now, and not be in a rush to sell players, even if it means leaving out a bit of profit on the table.