Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to China Rumours Prompt Borussia Dortmund Response

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has rubbished rumours linking striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a €150 million (£127.9 million) bid from Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG.

Watzke refused to discuss the reported offer, telling Bild he had no interest in such speculation (h/t Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC): "I am not interested in hypothetical things."

The rumours stemmed from a La Gazzetta dello Sport report (h/t ESPN FC) that indicated Shanghai SIPG had made BVB the huge offer for the 27-year-old, while pledging to pay him €41 million (£35 million) per season in wages.

Per Uersfeld, Dortmund media director Sascha Fligge previously said in a statement that there has been no offer from Shanghai, while Bild reported different figures for the bid—€50 million (£42.6 million) plus €30 million (£25.6 million) in add-ons.

Either way, it seems Watzke has little time for the idea of selling Aubameyang, and understandably so.

The Gabon international is one of Dortmund's most vital players. He has netted 16 Bundesliga goals in 15 appearances so far in 2016-17, having scored 25 in 31 last season, per WhoScored.com.

China has been increasingly attempting to attract big-name stars to their league with offers of huge wages, and in some circumstances, Super League clubs have succeeded.

Oscar, Carlos Tevez and Axel Witsel have all moved to the Chinese Super League recently, but unlike Aubameyang, none of them were regular starters at a major European side.

While Dortmund are struggling at the moment—they lie sixth in the Bundesliga—they remain one of Germany's biggest and most decorated clubs.

Per France Football, Aubameyang recently ranked 11th in the voting for the 2016 Ballon d'Or:

He is one of the most highly rated strikers in the world and has been regularly linked with UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, per Duncan Wright in The Sun.

It would be major coup for the Chinese Super League to snap up a player of Aubameyang's quality, but given his current standing and prospects in the European game, it seems an unlikely switch.