Aubameyang: 'If I want to grow, I surely need to leave this summer'

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has thrown his Borussia Dortmund future into doubt after claiming he may have to leave the club in order to "grow" as a player.

Previously linked with a blockbuster move to China, an AC Milan return, and a switch to Premier League holder Chelsea, the Gabon international's Dortmund tenure has been on shaky ground.

Aubameyang's latest comments will do little to stem speculation of a potential exit.

"I am still reflecting on whether I should leave or not," Aubameyang said, courtesy of Jack Rosser from the Evening Standard.

"This is the question I keep on asking myself - and I don’t have an answer. I need time to think about it. If I want to grow, I surely need to leave this summer," last season's Bundesliga goal leader admitted.

Reports suggested Dortmund had entertained offers for Aubameyang in the neighbourhood of £65 million, though the club's sporting director Michael Zorc slapped a July deadline for a sale. With that date long gone and the transfer window set to slam shut in a little more than a week, the French-born striker's remarks come at a curious time.

Regardless, the pacey striker appears to have one foot out the door, adding, "I am 28 and I need to grow. If I leave, it will only be somewhere I would play regularly."