Barcelona would love to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the club in January, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

What's the word?

The striker joined Chelsea in the summer following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, but the 33-year-old has been a disaster in west London, scoring just once in nine Premier League outings.

The former Arsenal captain joined Barcelona around a year ago after he was stripped of the armband and exiled from the squad, and enjoyed something of a revival as he netted 13 goals for the Catalans.

As he has played for Barcelona and Chelsea this season, should he move in the January window, he would only be allowed to play for Barcelona as per FIFA rules - but he may be in luck.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Barcelona would be very happy to have him back, having been impressed by him last season.

He said: "For Barca, what I am told is that they would love to re-sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

"He always had a great relationship with people in the board, with his teammates, with Xavi, he's always been super professional at Barcelona.

"I'm told that people in the club are super happy with how [professional] Aubameyang was at the club.

A complicated deal

Romano went on to say that Barcelona's financial situation means they can only bring Aubameyang back if Memphis Depay leaves the club - with the Dutchman linked with Atletico Madri - while they would also need Chelsea to compromise on a fee, and likely need the striker to reduce his salary.

This would be a surprising move given Aubameyang's poor performances at Chelsea, as well as Barcelona's current attacking depth.

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha arrived in the summer, while Ousmane Dembele signed a new contract. Elsewhere, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are also capable of playing through the middle and are much younger than the Gabonese striker.

We don't think signing an ageing, out-of-form player would be a smart move for Xavi, and despite his good spell last season, there is no guarantee that Aubameyang will find his form again.