Reported Arsenal and Manchester United transfer target Patrick Pierre-Aubameyang has fuelled speculation of a move to England by missing training. This comes days after his club publicly stated they do not rely on the Gabon international.
Borussia Dortmund have quickly refuted suggestions of a move, by saying Pierre missed training due to a ‘personal appointment’. Even if that is true, it doesn’t mean a deal is completely off the cards.
Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke spoke recently about transfer rumours surrounding Aubameyang:
“We can never believe that a club like Borussia Dortmund is dependent on a player,” he told German newspaper Bild.
“We are not dependent on anyone. “When Robert Lewandowski left, we found [solutions] and he even has three more goals than Lewa. We are now so well positioned that we can offer alternative solutions again and again.
That last sentence doesn’t convince me that he’s convinced the Gabonese striker will stay at the club for the long term.
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Whilst I personally don’t think we’ll sign Aubameyang this month, there is a lot of smoke around this one – it’s worth optimistically observing the situation.
The £42million-rated forward has a contract until 2020 in Germany and, in the form of his life, it’s hard to believe that the player would want to leave at this stage of the season. Could a potential Premier League title tempt him?
Manchester United have also been heavily linked with a move for the striker, who if he did become available would likely attract interest from many of Europe’s elite clubs, including Real Madrid.
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