London, Sep 2 (AP) Chelsea signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona before the summer transfer window closed, giving manager Thomas Tuchel a new striker a season after they couldn't make it work with Romelu Lukaku.

The 33-year-old Aubameyang returns to the Premier League after just seven months in Barcelona, where he moved after being released by Arsenal. The deal was reportedly valued at USD 14 million.

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"I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it's good to be back and really exciting," said Aubameyang, who has signed a two-year contract in a transfer announced by Chelsea nearly 90 minutes after the deadline passed.

The west London club is the biggest spender in Europe this window after an outlay of about USD 280 million.

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Aubameyang won't be immediately available for Chelsea after sustaining a jaw injury in a home invasion this week in Spain. Armed thieves hit the Gabon international in the face and forced him to open a safe for jewelry, authorities said.

Aubameyang, who scored 13 goals in 23 appearances overall for Barcelona, was expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.

The Gabon striker played for Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.

Lukaku is at Inter Milan on a one-year loan deal less than a year after joining Chelsea for USD 135 million as the seventh most expensive soccer player ever at the time. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)