Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang offered escape route out of Chelsea thanks to 'loophole' that will allow him to play for third club this season

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Premier League nightmare could be set to come to an end thanks to an 'overlapping-season' loophole.

Former Arsenal captain Aubameyang returned to the Premier League in September, joining London rivals Chelsea on a two-year contract after a rather uneventful stint in La Liga with Barcelona.

But despite being one of many high-profile signing's sanctioned by Todd Bohely in his first transfer window as owner of the club, things have yet to get going for the 33-year-old in West London.

After being cut from Chelsea's UEFA Champions League squad ahead of their last 16 clash with AC Milan, the Gabonese forward has been linked with yet another change of clubs.

However, FIFA rules stipulate that a player can only play for two teams in one season and, having featured for Barcelona in their goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano back in August, the prospect of a move anywhere in Europe was off the cards in the January window.

Thankfully for the Chelsea forward, a loophole can be found in the United State's Major League Soccer competition.

Overlapping Season

As reported by the DailyMail, there are loopholes which can be found within the rules for those looking to move on to a third club in the space of a single season, with the official registration rules as follows:

'Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs,' FIFA says. 'As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season.'

The 2022 MLS season drew to a conclusion in November, with the 2023 season set to get underway on February 25th.

It is understood that LAFC - who recently lost former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale to retirement - have been in talks about potentially signing Aubameyang.

Los Angeles FC and Chelsea are in negotiations for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang!

There continues to be movement in open transfer markets, such as MLS. And by players of great international relevance, such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

- @MatteMoretto

— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) February 6, 2023

As a result, should Aubameyang wish to make the move to North America, then he would be able to do so without breaking any FIFA protocols.