Barcelona head coach, Xavi Hernandez, has decided to keep striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the club amid interest from Chelsea.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Xavi has made it clear to Aubameyang that he wants him to be part of his Barcelona squad for the upcoming 2022/23 LaLiga season, despite reports linking the former Arsenal captain to Chelsea.

Chelsea has held talks with Aubameyang’s entourage about the prospect of bringing him to Stamford Bridge before the end of the summer transfer window.

Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, is keen to sign a new forward following Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan in June as the Blues head into the new season with Michy Batshuayi, Timo Werner and Armando Broja as their three recognised strikers.

Barcelona, meanwhile, is open to selling some of their high earners as they are keen to trim their wage bill to improve their financial situation.

The report added that Barcelona has
not received contact from Chelsea about the possibility of signing Aubameyang.

But when asked about Chelsea’s approach for Aubameyang, who scored 79 goals during his time at Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday evening: “I would be interested in the 79 goals actually. We will not comment further.

“There are a lot of names out there. Sometimes it’s due to the fact that we discuss a lot of names and sometimes it’s pure speculation and we will not get involved.”

Interestingly, It was during Tuchel’s regime at Dortmund that Aubameyang scored 79 goals for the German club.