Borussia Dortmund could decide to sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan by the end of this week, according to their sporting director, with Arsenal likely to be among the leading candidates for the forward’s signature.
Mino Raiola, Mkhitaryan’s agent, last month announced that his client was in no rush to sign a new deal at Dortmund even though his contract expires next summer, potentially forcing his current club to cash in on the Armenian international.
Arsenal are among several clubs to have monitored Mkhitaryan over the past season, in which he scored 11 and provided 15 assists in Dortmund’s battle with Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.
With star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also likely to draw interest in the summer window Dortmund are keen to make a swift decision on Mkhitaryan’s future and sporting director Michael Zorc has confirmed that the club “will make a decision this week” on the 27-year-old.
Reports in Armenia over recent weeks claim that Mkhitaryan has already decided to move on from Germany and is eyeing a move to the Premier League, where Manchester United have also been linked with the forward.
Bookmakers make Arsenal (6/4) and Liverpool (2/1) favourites to sign Mkhitaryan, though the Gunners’ recent focus has been on a new central striker. Jamie Vardy had been their principle target but Standard Sport revealed last week that the forward is leaning towards remaining at Leicester, likely forcing Arsene Wenger to widen his search.
