Liverpool CEO responds to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer rumours as Jurgen Klopp eyes £70m signing

New Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore has reacted to reports that the club have been quoted £63m for Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Last season’s Bundesliga top scorer sparked a transfer scramble for his signature this summer when in January he admitted his desire to leave the club and move to the next level.

He said at the time: “If I want to go to the next level, I need to leave in summer”.

Last season’s Bundesliga top scorer had a transfer scramble over him sparked after Dortmund’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke stated that the club would listen to any offer that showed “its appreciation” for the player in a “a financial way”.

Speaking to Bild, Watze said: “We will listen to it when a club is willing to show its appreciation for Aubameyang in a financial way as well.

“If an official bid were to reach more than £63million, it would have to be reported as a necessary to proceed. This has not happened so far.”

That led to Liverpool fans questioning their new CEO, who took up the role in February, on the prospect of signing the Gabon international on Twitter.

Reds fan Grant Portman said: “If Aubameyang is available for £63m as reported (and would come) please get him! You would recoup most of the money in shirts.”

To which Moore replied: “All the profits would disappear with the cost of lettering the shirts…”

Jurgen Klopp has already sanctioned a £34.3m move for Mohamed Salah this summer and has been told he must pay an additional £70m if he wants to bring RB Leipzig’s midfielder Naby Keita to Anfield, according to reports in the German media.

As well as Keita, Klopp is also understood to be keen on Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Gunners needing to sell this summer to keep their wage budget within Premier League rules if they are to keep Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Liverpool are also keeping tabs on Keita’s Leipzig teammate Timo Werner, after his goals fired the east German side into a second-place finish behind Bayern Munich.

Only three strikers scored more times than Werner’s 21 strikes over the course of the Bundesliga season and the Reds want a natural goalscorer to help deal with Champions League football.

Chelsea’s Dominic Solanke is already set to arrive at the end of his contract on July 1st, while Hull's Andrew Robertson is an option at left-back given James Milner had been forced to play there throughout this season.