Manchester United Transfer News: Henrikh Mkhitaryan Player Profile

According to reports, Manchester United could be the preferred destination for Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Manchester United may have found a suitable winger to sign this summer, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan is reportedly interested in making the move to Old Trafford.

According to Mkhitaryan’s agent, Mino Raiola, the winger is looking to leave Borussia Dortmund with Manchester United as his favored landing spot.

On the subject, the agent said, “He wants to go to Manchester United and we are still trying to resolve the situation. We are still talking to Dortmund. We are trying to be reasonable. They are aware that Micki wants to leave now.”

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The move will be difficult to complete, as Dortmund has already announced they will block any transfer bid for the Armenian international. He had an excellent season at BVB in 2015/16, scoring 11 goals and adding 15 assists in the Bundesliga.

As such, it’s not surprising that the club will do everything they can to hold onto the player. Speaking to Bild, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said, “We at the club actively discussed the option of parting ways with Henrikh Mkhitaryan ahead of time, and we decided that he should stay at BVB also next season.”

With his contract set to expire next summer, it’s entirely possible that the 27-year-old’s agent is merely using the transfer rumours to fight for a bigger salary. Manchester United are willing to pay the Armenian a €10m annual salary for his services, in addition to the reported transfer fee of €24m with Dortmund. That fee is far lower than what would be required to complete the deal, however, considering how well Mkhitaryan played last campaign.

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With his ability to play in virtually every attacking position from the midfield forward, signing Mkhitaryan would allow the current Manchester United players to start in their preferred positions. Much like Anthony Martial on the left-wing, the Dortmund winger is known for his dribbling ability and tendency to drive at defenders. Unlike the younger talent, though, he is more assured in his decision making and has more incisive passing into teammates.

The Red Devils desperately need a player to create chances for others – in the Premier League season, no United player registered a double digit tally for assists. Wayne Rooney was the closest with six assists in the league. Bringing in another creator would alleviate pressure on the likes of Rooney and Juan Mata. Additionally, Mkhitaryan has better pace compared to that of Jesse Lingard, something that would lend well to overlapping runs with the right-back.

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In short, if Jose Mourinho can capture the Dortmund star, the Manchester United attack would be far stronger next season with dangerous options on both flanks. Unfortunately, the deal will depend heavily on the German club’s capitulation to sell. In the past, they’ve generally parted with only one big name player per offseason. Given that Mats Hummels has already left for Bayern Munich, it’s unclear whether Mkhitaryan would be allowed to leave.