Wednesday 17 February 2016 14:35, UK
Manchester United are reportedly planning a summer move for Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but what would the Gabon striker add to the club's forward line?
United enquired about Aubameyang's availability in January, according to the Manchester Evening News, only to be told by Dortmund the player was not for sale.
However, the paper claims the Red Devils will return for Aubameyang at the end of the season, when they are expected to go head-to-head with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
Arsenal were also said to have shown an interest in Aubameyang during the winter transfer window, and he addressed those rumours when receiving the 2015 African Footballer of the Year award.
But if the 26-year-old were to move to Old Trafford next season, how would he fit in and would he improve the club's current attacking options?
Factfile
Age: 26
Date of Birth: 18/06/1989
Nationality: Gabonese
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Forward
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 11st 6lbs
Preferred Foot: Right
Well-travelled youngster
The France-born forward actually started his career with AC Milan, joining the Serie A club's youth set-up in 2007, before being promoted to the senior team a year later.
However, unable to force his way past more established forwards such as Alexandre Pato, Kaka and Filippo Inzaghi, Aubameyang then spent season-long loan spells at French sides Dijon, Lille, Monaco and Saint-Etienne during the next four years.
The frontman impressed so much at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in the 2011/12 campaign, when he finished as Ligue 1's top scorer with 16 goals, that Les Verts signed him on a permanent deal in December of that season.
Breakthrough campaign
Aubameyang really made his breakthrough following an excellent campaign in front of goal with Saint-Etienne in 2012/13, finishing only behind PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 19 goals in just 37 games.
As a result, the Gabon international was part of the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, paving the way for his £9m move to Dortmund that July.
Bundesliga switch
Aubameyang wasted little time in making his mark at the Westfalenstadion, scoring a hat-trick against Augsburg on his Bundesliga debut. He found the back of the net with his very first effort on goal in the German top flight.
In total, Aubameyang scored 16 goals in 48 matches in all competitions that season after mainly being utilised out wide, with Robert Lewandowski playing as the club's main striker.
But after the Pole's departure to Bayern Munich that summer, the forward managed to register 25 goals and 11 assists in 46 matches in all competitions the following season, despite Dortmund's struggles under Jurgen Klopp.
And so far this campaign, Aubameyang has taken his game to the next level by scoring 20 times in only 20 league encounters, a brilliant run that also saw him become the first player in the Bundesliga to score in the opening six fixtures of the campaign.
In Europe's top-five leagues, only Lewandowski (21) has scored more goals than his former Dortmund team-mate's current haul, while in total Aubameyang has managed to contribute 30 goals and eight assists in 31 games in all competitions this season.
Strengths and suitabilities for United
One of Aubameyang's main strengths is his lightning-quick pace, a facet of his game which has already been seen to great effect on many occasions during his time in Germany.
He would therefore be ideally suited to the hurly-burly nature of the Premier League, where standards of defending are often lower than elsewhere on the Continent.
Aubameyang has a versatility to his game as well, having started out life on the wings, meaning he could play out wide as a forward in a three-man frontline.
And with Anthony Martial and him on each flank, either side of Wayne Rooney through the middle, he would inject more pace into United's forward line, to go alongside the already speedy Frenchman.
However, Aubameyang can also operate as either a lone frontman, or even up front as part of an old-school 4-4-2 formation.
Apart from an ability to regularly find the back of the net, he likes to create goals for his team-mates, with Aubameyang having 15 assists to his name in 85 Bundesliga appearances since joining Dortmund.
The Gabon attacker is also willing to close down opposition defenders - which would make him a firm favourite at Old Trafford - and this campaign he has averaged 0.2 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per game, according to Whoscored.com.
Overall, Aubameyang's speed, ability in the air, exceptional technique - including from set-pieces - and now greater consistency in front of goal would all seemingly make him an ideal addition to United's front line next season.
What he said
"I'm absolutely delighted that the next years of my career will be spent at Borussia Dortmund. I feel very happy at the club, in this team and in this city. Dortmund has become like a second home to me. Every part of me wants to be here and I have never wanted to leave." (July 2015)
What they said
"Auba has developed outstandingly. We are very happy that we have been able to tie him down to a long-term contract." (Dortmund's director of sport Michael Zorc after Aubameyang signed a new deal last summer).
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