Aubameyang almost joined Newcastle before opting for Dortmund

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Aubameyang almost joined Newcastle before opting for Dortmund - The 26-year-old was presented with lucrative offers from both the Premier League outfit and a Qatari side, but opted instead to move to Signal Iduna Park to work with Jurgen Klopp.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed that he nearly joined Premier League struggles Newcastle three years ago, but held out for a move to Borussia Dortmund.

The Gabon international is now one of Europe’s deadliest strikers, having scored 21 Bundesliga goals already this season, and is reported to be a £70 million target for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

Back in 2013, though, the forward’s old club Saint-Etienne had pushed for him to join Newcastle, but he opted to spurn their advances in favour of Dortmund despite a bigger offer on the table from the Magpies.

“I received an offer from Qatar of €10m per year. If I accepted, my family would be set up for life,” Aubameyang told L'Equipe.

“We chose to stay at Saint-Etienne, where I got €70,000 per month, knowing that, given my qualities, I could earn money tomorrow.

“The following season, Saint-Etienne wanted to send me to Newcastle.

“We opted for Dortmund, finalist in the Champions League, because my father studied Klopp's game, even though the pay was lower.”

Only one player - Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski - has scored more Bundesliga goals than Aubameyang this season, while he trails Europe’s leading marksman, Barcelona forward Luis Suarez, by just four strikes.