Manchester City Transfer News: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sergio Aguero Rumours

Manchester City will reportedly make a £40 million-plus move for Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should they lose Sergio Aguero in the summer.

According to The Sun's Martin Lipton, having resigned themselves to the fact they won't be able to sign Barcelona's Lionel Messi or Ateltico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Aubameyang would be City's key target if they have to replace Argentina international Aguero.

The Sky Blues' chances of snapping up the Gabon international have improved recently, as previous front-runners Real Madrid have "cooled their interest" in Aubameyang, according to Lipton.

It is far from certain that Aguero will leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer, though. Per Squawka, he remains one of the most lethal strikers in Europe and has been in fine form of late, netting five goals in his last four appearances in all competitions:

However, the 28-year-old's future has been thrown into doubt after he was displaced in manager Pep Guardiola's first team following the January arrival of Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, per The Independent's Tim Rich.

Jesus has since picked up an injury, but Aguero—under contract until 2020—is unlikely to be happy playing second fiddle to the 19-year-old when he returns to action. The former Atletico Madrid star recently called on City to give him assurances at the end of the season, per Jamie Jackson in the Guardian.

Should Aguero decide he wants to leave, then City would need to find a top-level replacement, as they would be left with a huge hole in their attack even with a fit Jesus. Aubameyang, 27, would be an ideal successor.

Season	Aguero Goals in Premier League (Appearances)	Aubameyang Goals in Bundesliga (Appearances)
2016-17	12 (21)	21 (21)
2015-16	24 (30)	25 (31)
2014-15	26 (33)	16 (33)
2013-14	17 (23)	13 (32)

He is a similarly devastating goalscorer to Aguero—since the start of the 2015-16 season, Aubameyang has netted 46 Bundesliga goals in 52 appearances, per WhoScored.com.

Meanwhile, his blistering pace would see him fit perfectly into City's attack alongside the likes of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.

He has previously hinted that he would be open to a move away from BVB this summer if a club "finds a solution with Dortmund," per Bild (via the Mirror's Liam Prenderville).

The main sticking point, though, could be his price tag. It was previously reported that Dortmund value their star man at £71 million and "will refuse to budge if a club attempt to make a move," per Bild (via TalkSport).

Given Aubameyang is contracted to BVB until 2020 and continues to perform brilliantly, the Bundesliga club have no reason to accept an offer lower than their valuation, so City will have to decide whether he is worth such an astronomical sum.