Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang approaches Barcelona over shock January return from Chelsea following Joao Felix arrival

Deja vu for Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has approached his former club Barcelona in a bid to return to the Camp Nou in January. The Chelsea forward has fallen out of favour under Graham Potter in west London and the arrival of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid seems to have sealed his fate. Aubameyang is not allowed to play for a new club until next season – as per FIFA rules – as he has featured for Barca and Chelsea already this season so has offered his services to the Catalan club. Sport state that the 33-year-old would “accept whatever they can pay him” and Chelsea would not pay any of his salary if he returned to the Camp Nou on loan.

Paper Round’s view: Aubameyang has been at Stamford Bridge for less than five months and is already desperate to return to Barcelona. You can feel slightly sorry for him because he was convinced to join by his former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel… who was sacked by the Chelsea board just five days later. It seems like Aubameyang’s desired return to Barcelona hinges on the exit of Memphis Depay in the winter transfer window. Memphis has recently been linked with a loan move to Atletico Madrid as Felix’s replacement. So Aubameyang could replace Memphis at Barca, while Memphis replaces Felix at Atleti and Felix replaces Aubameyang at Chelsea…

Neuer’s nightmare

Manuel Neuer’s injury could be worse than first feared, according to reports in Germany. AS (via Bild) believe that the original injury report was downplayed as a “lower leg fracture”. However, it is now being reported that Neuer has suffered “an open fracture of the tibia and fibula”, which would mean he would be sidelined for a much longer period of time and could even force the German goalkeeper into early retirement. AS report that this news has thrown Bayern Munich into the transfer market to try and a long-term replacement for Neuer. The Bundesliga leaders have made Borussia Monchengladbach stopper Yann Sommer their number one target but need to improve on their initial €5-million offer.

Paper Round’s view: This could be disastrous for Neuer. The 36-year-old suffered the injury during a mid-season ski trip – and now he might be forced into early retirement because of it. You really couldn’t write it. If Neuer does have to retire, it would be a heartbreaking way to go out. It seems very unlikely that Bayern are only making serious moves in the transfer market now. Surely they knew the extent of the injury the whole time. Sommer would be a solid replacement but Bayern would need to up their bid if they want to sign a key player from their domestic rivals in the middle of the season.

Emery eyes Guendouzi reunion

Unai Emery is hoping to reunite with Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi at Aston Villa, according to the Standard. The 23-year-old was signed by Emery in his first season in charge at Arsenal before falling out with Mikel Arteta and departing to Marseille. The Spanish boss has requested for Villa to submit a bid for Guendouzi and the club are awaiting to hear a response from the Ligue 1 side. Villa are keen on strengthening their options in central midfield and are also interested in Juventus’ Weston McKennie and Palmieras’ Danilo.

Paper Round’s view: Guendouzi is clearly a talented footballer. He has a bit of a bad reputation in England because of his public falling out with Arteta, which led to his Arsenal exit. However, the youngster has matured at Marseille and proven his quality. Guendouzi was part of the France squad which reached the World Cup final in Qatar and has worn the captain’s armband for Marseille on a number of occasions. The French midfielder would be a smart signing for Villa. Emery would be bringing in a talent that he has worked with before so he knows exactly what to expect and he has played in the Premier League before so he can hit the ground running.

Potter’s ‘crisis meeting’ with senior stars

Chelsea manager Graham Potter held a “crisis meeting” with a handful of the senior squad members to discuss how the club can navigate their way through the current slump in form. Potter met with Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho at the training ground in Cobham ahead of the west London derby clash against Fulham on Thursday. The Blues boss believes it was a positive conversation where the players were “honest” when discussing their concerns.

Paper Round’s view: It is a positive thing that the senior players felt they could openly talk with the manager. Potter has not really had to deal with big egos in his past jobs. Not on Chelsea’s level anyway. He has had a tough start to his career at Stamford Bridge, but this “crisis meeting” could be the start of a new era. Working alongside the players is key and making sure it is not a one-way system from the management and coaching staff. We will find out if the meeting worked on Thursday evening at Craven Cottage.