Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal or Liverpool: Dortmund CEO denies Premier League links with striker

Arsenal and Liverpool are speculated to be interested in the in-form 26-year-old but are yet to show their hand

(2015 Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has responded defiantly to rumours suggesting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is destined to join Arsenal or Liverpool.

The 26-year-old Gabonese international has been linked with the Premier League duo this winter with a fee in excess of £40m being suggested by some media outlets.

But Watzke insists Dortmund do not need to sell their prized assets and reminded reporters of examples of the Bundesliga club keeping players despite interest from afar.

He told Bild: "One must never make the mistake to believe that a club like BVB is dependent on a player. We are not dependent on anyone.

"When Robert Lewandowski left, we found [a solution] and he even has three more goals than Lewa.

"[The goal is that] our team stays together. We do not have as much money as the top stars in the Premiere League, but we have a lot of other things to offer - for example our players were able to celebrate Christmas."

"Last year around this time, many journalists wrote that our top players would be gone.

"Hummels was at Manchester United. Gundogan was with [Real] Madrid, Manchester or Barcelona. And where are they now? Still with us."