Chelsea sign Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marcos Alonso leaves club by mutual consent

Chelsea have completed the signing of striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona.

Aubameyang, who only joined Barca from Arsenal in January, has penned a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

“The experienced forward joins the Blues on a two-year contract and becomes the sixth senior signing of the summer window to bolster our men’s squad following a seven-month stay at Camp Nou,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“He scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for Barca last term, helping them rise from sixth in La Liga when he joined in February to finish as runners-up.”

The former Arsenal goal-getter becomes the Blues’ sixth senior signing of a remarkable summer transfer spree in which they’ve spent an estimated £260 million.

That includes a reported €7.5m (£6.5m) fee that Chelsea paid for Aubameyang’s signature.

“I’m really happy. It’s an honour to be part of this team and I can’t wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it’s good to be back and really exciting,” said Aubameyang.

A report in The Athletic on Thursday said that the 33-year-old had his jaw broken when his home in Barcelona was burgled on Sunday.

The injury, sustained as Aubameyang tried to protect his family, could keep the striker on the sidelines for several weeks, but didn’t hinder a deal being finalised.

The Gabon international joined Barca from Arsenal in January, signing a deal until 2025.

He made an impressive impact in Spain, scoring 13 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, but has made a swift return to the Premier League.

Aubameyang’s record in England is strong – he scored 68 goals in 128 games in the English top-flight for the Gunners and shared the Golden Boot with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in 2018/19 after hitting the net 22 times.

He departed the Emirates with an FA Cup winners’ medal to his name and will now be tasked with firing Chelsea to major silverware.

Left wing-back Alonso leaves west London after six years as a Blue. The Spain international scored 29 goals in 212 appearances for the club, winning the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup and FA Cup.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have been very active in the transfer window this summer, spending a league-high £260m on six senior new players.

Wesley Fofana penned a seven-year deal to join from Leicester City in a deal reportedly worth up to £75m on Wednesday. Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and Denis Zakaria are the other senior players to join this window. Gabriel Slonina and Carney Chukwuemeka have also joined the club.

Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan on loan left Tuchel with a dearth of natural strikers in his squad, with Kai Havertz and Sterling performing the role so far.

Chelsea have got off to an inconsistent start, winning two, drawing one and losing two in the Premier League to leave them in ninth place after the opening five rounds, eight points adrift of leaders Arsenal.