Manchester United transfer news: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reveals family promise to sign for Real Madrid

The 26-year-old has scored 30 goals in 35 appearances to fire Thomas Tuchel’s side to within five points of Bayern Munich

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (GETTY IMAGES)

Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has revealed how a promise to his grandfather could scupper the chances of an English club signing the Gabonese striker.

The 26-year-old has scored 30 goals in 35 appearances for the Bundesliga club to fire Thomas Tuchel’s side to within five points of Bayern Munich while also holding a three-goal advantage over Tottenham Hotspur in their Europa League round-of-16 tie.

Manchester United and Arsenal are among the clubs linked with Aubameyang over the winter with a fee in the region of £35m being suggested by German media but it appears he has his heart set on a move to join Real Madrid.

Despite being linked with a return to France, following interest from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, he said: “Real Madrid? There's no deal in place, but I promised my granddad I'd play there one day.

“I've said to myself, 'Why go back to France when I left that league three years ago? Why not discover something new?' Like I've said before, I'd love to play in Spain and to finally enjoy a bit of good weather.”

Meanwhile, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is not concerned by their Europa League first-leg defeat having a hangover-effect on their Premier League title aspirations.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side recovered from their Westfalenstadion setback with a 2-0 success at Aston Villa at the weekend to stay within touching distance of leaders Leicester City.

The Frenchman said: “It's important to recover well for all the players who were on the pitch today. I know the quality, the skill, the mentality of the team. Dortmund is just the story of one game.

“Of course we can question ourselves a bit but not too much because the league is very important, we are in a good position and we need to do everything we can to stay in this position.”