Man Utd battling Chelsea in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer race with Erik ten Hag desperate for ex-Arsenal striker

MANCHESTER UNITED are battling Chelsea to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Red Devils are desperate for attacking reinforcements and have now turned their attention to the former Arsenal captain.

United considered a move for Aubemeyang when he left the Emirates Stadium under a cloud in January.

And the uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is forcing them to look at every possible option - which led to the embarrassing saga over former Stoke star Marko Arnautovic.

Barcelona would be open to selling Aubameyang as part of their own struggles to revamp their squad.

The Spanish giants pulled off some financial gymnastics that allowed them to register four of their summer signings - Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen - in time for their opening La Liga game against Rayo Vallecano.

But former Chelsea and Manchester City target Jules Kounde is still unable to play, as are Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto despite agreeing new contracts at the Camp Nou.

At the time Aubameyang joined Barcelona, it was reported he would earn about £2.1m over the initial five months of his contract.

But his wages were supposed to rise considerably from this season, which would explain why the club is willing to let him go.

United face a big challenge to persuade Aubameyang to choose them over Chelsea.

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The frontman, 33, worked with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund and would prefer to join a club that can offer Champions League football, if he is forced out of Barcelona.

United are also up against Chelsea in their bid to sign another Barca star, Frenkie De Jong.

The Dutchman is understood to prefer a move to Stamford Bridge to being reunited with former Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag.

The summer-long saga with De Jong has led United to look at other targets.

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Football director John Murtough has just returned from Turin where he held discussions about signing France international midfielder Adrien Rabiot with the player’s mother, who is also his agent.

Rabiot would be a much cheaper option than De Jong, with Juventus willing to sell for about £15m.

But failing to bring in Ten Hag’s top target, De Jong, would be a major blow and United’s pursuit of Aubameyang may well also end in disappointment.