9. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Saint Etienne)
Young Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is almost certain to leave Saint Etienne this summer after an impressive few years in Ligue 1. The striker, who started his career at AC Milan, is a pacey, skillful forward with great finishing ability, scoring 39 goals in the last two seasons, and can also play out wide.
Although he does not look like the typical Chelsea in many ways, the club have been scouting him, and will be keen to bring in someone to replace the struggling pair of Fernando Torres and Demba Ba upfront. However, they will likely have a long list of clubs to compete with to land the 24-year-old. Big-spenders such as Monaco and Russian side Anzhi Makhachakala have been linked with him this summer, as have the Blues’ Premier League rivals such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle. He has also admitted that his dream is to play for Real Madrid, though it is uncertain whether or not the feeling is mutual.
Aubameyang is an excellent emerging talent, and will surely bring success to wherever he does, and Chelsea would do well to fight off competition from their rivals to sign a top class goal-scorer.