Chelsea Rumors: Blues Could Consider Plotting Raid On Tuchel's Former Top Striker – Report

Chelsea may be planning to bolster its attack by adding another world-class striker, and one of their options could be Thomas Tuchel's former star.

After winning the English Premier League title this year, Chelsea seems to be wasting no time in attempting to land a huge signing, with "three" targets already on its radar, The Telegraph reported. Timo Werner has struggled to do an exceptional job in Chelsea’s attack this past season, and the Blues higher-ups are now ready to splurge on the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

However, the three players are difficult to sign at the moment. Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy will do everything he can to keep Kane as part of his bid to hire Antonio Conte, according to The Telegraph. Lukaku said on Belgian television that he's staying at Inter Milan, while Borussia Dortmund isn't keen on letting Haaland leave.

But if Chelsea's reported targets don't work out, one option they could pursue is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal is said to be willing to listen to offers, The Telegraph reported, citing unnamed sources.

Should Chelsea decide to take advantage of Aubameyang's situation instead, this could mean a sensational reunion with Tuchel, who has been hinting that he is not closing the door on his former striker.

Tuchel previously told the outlet that Aubameyang "will always be my player" and that he remains in contact with him. The German coach then heaped praise on the Gabonese forward, suggesting that he would be pleased to work with him again.

“Back in the days at [Borussia] Dortmund, it was a pure pleasure to have him in the squad,” Tuchel said of Aubameyang last month. “Auba was a fantastic striker, a fantastic finisher on the pitch. But more than that, he was a fantastic worker off the pitch. I think he did not miss one single training in two years.”

“Yeah, it was a very reliable relationship because he [Aubameyang] delivered an unbelievable amount of goals, his speed was unique in Bundesliga and he was a crucial player,” the coach added.

In Arsenal’s past campaign, Aubameyang matched the worst single-season tally of his career, having registered only 10 goals and three assists in 29 Premier League games.

Atop that, Aubameyang is already past 30 years old, and his market value is expected to lower in the next transfer windows, possibly making him a cheaper target in the forward position.

A lot of factors may have contributed to the Gabonese striker’s decline this past season, and most of them were issues outside the sport.

Amid Aubameyang’s off-pitch crisis, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has remained impressed by how his skipper managed to deal with it.

"Sometimes when you go through difficult moments, you can have those difficult moments and get into a sad mode," Arteta earlier told Sky Sports of Aubameyang who missed three games to visit his ill mother.

"Instead of going sad, he got upset and I said to the coaching staff that I like that and that he would be fine,” he added. “When you have that mentality, I think that's the right way to approach it."