Manchester United news: Henrikh Mkhitaryan tells Borussia Dortmund he wants to quit club for Old Trafford move
Midfielder keen to join Jose Mourinho rather than link up with Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium
HENRIKH MKHITARYAN has told Borussia Dortmund he wants to leave the club - and he is ready to snub Arsenal to secure a move to Manchester United.
The Armenia midfielder has just one year left on his current deal with the Bundesliga club and has made it clear he wants to seek a new challenge elsewhere.
The news will come as a major blow to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who has been tracking the player for the past 18 months.
New United boss Jose Mourinho has Mkhitaryan on his list of potential targets as he looks to rebuild the squad he inherited from Louis van Gaal.
And news that the player wants to join him at Old Trafford may help accelerate a deal, especially as United are already talking to his agent Mino Raiola in the attempts to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Dortmund splashed out £23.6million to sign Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, and are now raced with a decision whether to cash in on his services.
Having lost Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich, the German club fear their squad being picked apart over the course of the summer.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of Europe’s hottest strikers and Dortmund are already bracing themselves for a series of bids this summer for him.
So the prospect of losing Mkhitaryan as well is one that is unwelcome, leaving them with the choice of whether to sell him now or keep him for a year and lose him for nothing next summer.
Arsenal boss Wenger has shown strong interest in the midfielder, but it appears the player has already made up his mind he wants to join United.
If United were to agree deal this summer, it could be for as little as £10m as Dortmund try to recoup almost half their investment on the midfielder.