Borussia Dortmund had previously stated publicly decided that star midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be sold to Manchester United; or Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur or anywhere else for that matter. BVB have done a total 180 from that stance as the Armenian’s transfer to Old Trafford appears to be imminent.
Depending on which source you’re looking at, the Mkhitaryan is “in advanced talks” or “reached an agreed upon fee.”
There may be some difference in what stage the media outlet claims the negotiation is at, but they all seem to agree that Mkhitaryan will now see out his BVB contract.
Let’s take a spin through the interwebs and see what’s being reported about the man referred to as “Micki” by his agent Mino Raiola.
–Sky sources confirmed United had reached an agreement – believed to be in the region of £26.3m – with Borussia Dortmund for the playmaker. They rate this a story a 4.9 out of 5.0 in transfer completion likelihood.
–ESPN FC: Manchester United are set to pay €42.5 million for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to multiple reports in Germany.
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed on Tuesday that United had “significantly improved their offer” and kicker, Ruhr Nachrichten and Bild all report that the Premier League side have nearly doubled their initial €24m (£19.9m) bid to €42.5m (£35.2m).
–Daily Mirror: Manchester United are set to land No.1 transfer target Henrikh Mkhitaryan as Jose Mourinho sets about reshaping his side. Borussia Dortmund have finally accepted a fee in the region of £33million – £14million more than United’s opening offer for the Armenian.
BVB had previously rejected two offers from United for the player, whose contract expires next summer, and whom Dortmund had insisted would be seeing out his final year at the Westfalenstadion.
There doesn’t seem to be any doubt that this deal gets done, given how United is Mkhitaryan’s “dream club,” as his agent as previously said, and the Red Devils have the deep pockets BVB requires in order to acquire him. Raiola previously said:
“Manchester United are a unique opportunity. Micki wants to join them now by any means.”
That said, how does “Micki” fit in exactly? He has experience on the wings, and Lord knows United have really failed lately in their transfer buys when it comes to winger, so depth is definitely needed there. Mkhitaryan could be that fast, wide top class midfielder that Jose Mourinho seems to be looking for, and prioritized on his summer shopping list.
If (more like when) the Armenian joins up, does that mean Bastian Schweinsteiger and/or Morgan Schneiderlin are out the door? It will be interesting to see the dominoes fall after this deal gets done.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
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