Manchester City blow in pursuit of Borussia Dortmund ace

Manchester City have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after Borussia Dortmund claimed the striker would only consider a summer move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Guardiola was interested in bringing Aubameyang to City last summer only to be put off by Dortmund’s £65m valuation of the striker and the Bundesliga giants will likely want even more this time around.

However, the City boss may need to re-think any plans of finding a replacement for Sergio Aguero in the summer with Aubameyang only interested in joining one of Spain’s biggest clubs.

“I think he will stay with us,” Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport1’s Doppelpass, via Manchester Evening News. “But if Real Madrid or Barcelona come along with an offer, maybe we’ll think about it.

“The rest of the clubs who are interested in him are not really an alternative for him. And certainly not Bayern [Munich] because we wouldn’t allow him to join them.”

The 27-year-old still has three years remaining on his existing deal with Dortmund after signing an extension in July 2015, but while his performances on the pitch have been outstanding, there have been several rumblings throughout the campaign that suggest his future is still uncertain beyond the end of the season.

Nevertheless, only Robert Lewandowski (26) has scored more goals in the Bundesliga this season than Aubameyang (25).

For more stats on Robert Lewandowski, click here to visit his WhoScored player page