Armenian winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan has come into his own this season at Borussia Dortmund and the news that there are slight hiccups over his contract renewal at the Bundesliga club will put several of the top Premier League clubs on high alert.
All three of Borussia Dormund’s attacking trident of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are much coveted by the top Premier League clubs for their goal scoring prowess.
Mkhitaryan is currently in the process of negotiating a new contract at Dortmund that would leave the door open for a possible move away, according to the Mirror. His current contract expires in 2017 and talks between the club and player have hit a hurdle after he allegedly demanded that the new deal include a buy-out clause that would enable him to leave if another club came up with the right amount of money.
Dortmund have agreed to such contracts earlier, losing Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich in 2013 when Bayern Munich paid up his 31 million pound release clause. Since then, BVB have renegotiated contracts with their top stars like Marco Reus, whose 20 million release clause was removed in a new deal, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who recently signed a contract till 2020 that doesn’t include a buy-out clause.
Mkhitaryan an attacking force for Dortmund
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder arrived at the Signal Iduna Park from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, but failed to have much of an impact under their then manager Jurgen Klopp. However he has developed in leaps and bounds since the appointment of present coach Thomas Tuchel, becoming one of the most potent attacking threats for Der Schwarzgelben.
Mkhitaryan has notched up 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for Dortmund this season. He has played all across the front line and is one of the most influential play makers in Europe. He would walk into any top team based on his current form and still has three or four years of top grade football left in him, something that has been attracting a lot of suitors.
He is rated at 24 million pounds by transfermarkt.com, but will most probably command a transfer fee of more than 30 million pounds.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United — where would Mkhitaryan fit in best?
Mkhitaryan is primarily a right-winger, and thus would fit in perfectly into an already star studded Arsenal attacking trio. With Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil teaming up with him in midfield, the Armenian could be part of one of the Premier League’s deadliest attacking trios. The quick passing, fast moving style of play that Wenger employs at Arsenal would also be right up his alley. The Gunners do have some young talent in that position though, and he will have to beat competition from the likes of Alex Iwobi and Joel Campbell.
Chelsea also boast a wealth of midfield talent that could be added to by incoming manager Antonio Conte. The Armenian might be an enticing option to have, but former Juventus manager Conte loves using wing-backs and this could mean that the attacker would find it difficult to fit into his scheme of things should the Italian choose to play his favoured 5-3-2 formation. Mkhitaryan would also have to displace the Blues’ best performer of the season in Willian.
Manchester United have been making do with their academy product Jesse Lingard at right-wing, although the young Englishman remains very short of being a world class player. They would definitely love to have Henrikh Mkhitaryan to call upon. However, it’s difficult to see him moving to the club given their likely lack of Champions League football next season and the constant positional tinkering by manager Louis van Gaal.
