Henrikh Mkhitaryan has told Borussia Dortmund that he wants to leave the club and join newly appointed Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
The midfielder has one year left on his current contract with Dortmund, who finished second in the Bundesliga last season, but he has stated that his intentions are to look for a new challenge elsewhere.
He has told his club that he wants them to agree a deal with United, according to the BBC, and this will be a big blow to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Midfielder heading to Premier League?
Wenger has been keeping tabs on the midfielder for almost 18 months now, but the attraction of playing with Mourinho at Old Trafford may well be too irresitable.
The Special One has a list of transfers this summer, as he looks to add to the squad that he has taken over from former boss Louis van Gaal.
Dortmund spent £23.6million back in 2013 to sign Mkhitaryan from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, and the German side won’t want to lose another key player, following the departure of their captain Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang is also wanted by clubs all over Europe, and may well be another star name to depart Dortmund this summer.
Agent confirms rumours
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport1 that they have been “negotiating with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months”, but he will depart after ews emerged that he won’t sign a new deal.
“Now we know that it is not extended, it was never out commitment that Mkhitaryan may leave us prematurely,” he said.
However, the players’ agent Mino Raiola claimed that he wasn’t pleased that his client would be kept at Dortmund until the end of his contract.
He said: “Micki has, for months, maintained that he may leave the club this summer, Dortmund presented an official offer which was rejected, but now the BVB bosses fear of their own fans.”
Raiola labelled Dortmund’s management as “very bad” after they told the player to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season.
“Manchester United is a unique opportunity, Micki wants to go there,” he added.