Chelsea could be forced to let forward leave for free this summer

Interim Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will be looking for the first win of his tenure at the club when his side face Bournemouth on Saturday. 

Since returning for a second managerial spell at Stamford Bridge last month, Lampard has seen his side lost all six matches with the most recent a dismal 3-1 loss against title-chasing Arsenal.

The Blues face a daunting run in too, with games against Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle United coming up in the closing weeks of the season.

Now, it appears that the London side could soon be dealt another blow.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea could be forced to let forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave the club for free if they wish to offload him this summer.

The report claims that the ex-Arsenal man is one of a number of players that the club are trying to remove from their wage bill.

They have so far struggled to find potential suitors, though, and could therefore be forced into allowing him to depart as a free agent.

Aubameyang looks set to depart Chelsea after just a year at Stamford Bridge

Aubameyang, 33, departed The Emirates to join La Liga giants Barcelona in January last year, but his time in Catalonia was short-lived as he returned to London just six months later, this time joining Chelsea.

Since moving to Stamford Bridge, the Gabon international has scored three goals in 21 matches, although he has been frozen out of the squad for much of the campaign so far.

Under former manager Graham Potter, Aubameyang was left out of Chelsea’s squad for the knockout stages of the Champions League, and he has made just five Premier League starts all season.

It has been rumoured that the striker could make a shock return to Barcelona, who are set to be in the market for cheap attacking options during the upcoming summer transfer window.

During his brief spell at the Nou Camp, Aubameyang scored an impressive 13 goals in 24 matches across all competitions.