Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been suspended by Borussia Dortmund for "internal reasons", fuelling speculation surrounding his future at the club.
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The Gabon international had been expected to start for the club in their Champions League tie against Sporting on Wednesday, with his match shirt hung up in the dressing room.
His name, however, was absent from the Dortmund team sheet, with Ousmane Dembele starting as the club's sole striker.
And according to Sky Germany, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed before the match that the reasoning behind Aubameyang's omission was due to a suspension.
It is understood the suspension lasts until Thursday, meaning the Sporting match is the only game Aubameyang is set to miss as things stand.
BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke did, however, have an interesting response to those questioning whether the decision had anything to do with transfer speculation surrounding Aubameyang.
"That's because of internal reasons,” Watzke told Sky Germany. "The coach [Tuchel] has decided that way.
"You can ask three times. You guys live off speculations so go ahead and speculate."
Aubameyang has been the target of fevered transfer speculation in the recent weeks, with Napoli and Real Madrid among those linked to the prolific forward.