A fortnight into the transfer window and the market is heating up with an inadequate supply of proven front-men as compared to the demand for them in the market. Chelsea striker Diego Costa is on his way out and having already missed out on Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, Antonio Conte is pulling his hair out against the advice of his hair restoration surgeon.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is not in a better predicament himself having so far only securing the services of Mohamed Salah and is reportedly on the lookout for a man to lead Liverpool’s lines.
As the search for the perfect striker continues in both Merseyside and West London, The Reds and The Blues have both apparently zeroed in on Borussia Dortmund goal-machine, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. The Bundesliga top-scorer of last season with 31 goals in a campaign which saw Dortmund finish third behind Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, a whopping 18 points behind the champions, pipped Robert Lewandowski to the Bundesliga Golden Boot. Lewandowski reportedly wasn’t happy at all and almost threatened to leave Bayern for what he perceived as a lack of importance attached to the issue as neither Carlo Ancelotti nor his teammates took decisive measures to help him reach the feat.
Aubameyang really reached his peak under former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel. Although the player himself credits former Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp as the key element behind his meteoric rise. Klopp brought the Gabonese international in Westfalenstadion from French outfit St Etienne in the summer of 2013. The forward rewarded Klopp by netting 29 goals in his last two seasons at the club and although his goal-scoring form improved considerably under Tuchel, Klopp has been the catalyst in catapulting the 28-year-old in an elite bracket of forwards.
It is not surprising hence that Klopp’s Liverpool team have shown interest in the striker in the ongoing window although Chelsea are supposedly heading the chase for the signature of the player.
At 28 years old he is considerably older than Chelsea’s other targets, reportedly Alvaro Morata (24) and Andrea Belotti (23), but is slated to make an instant impact for The Blues. The Gabonese international is one of the best poachers in the market today and has a superb eye for goal. Although not a like for like replacement for Diego Costa, who was adept at holding up the ball and powering his way out of tight marking, Aubameyang could benefit from one of the best supply lines in the Premier League with his mazy runs in the final third.
Liverpool can still steal the striker from under Chelsea’s noses in a move that would raise serious question marks on the likes Marina Granovskaia and Michael Emenalo, Director and Technical Director of Chelsea respectively and in charge of the club’s transfer activity. Aubameyang’s high regard for Jurgen Klopp and Klopp having seen the player at close quarters could help hijack the move for the Anfield outfit.
