Henrikh Mkhitaryan is caught up in a tug-of-war between Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United but his agent Mino Raiola may have the power to force move
* Manchester United transfer news: All the latest from Old Trafford
* Henrikh Mkhitaryan is keen on sealing a summer move to Man United
* The Armenian forward's current deal at Dortmund runs out next summer
* Agent Mino Raiola is hoping to force transfer so his client gets his wish
It is threatening to become one of the transfer sagas of the summer. It certainly has all the right ingredients. Jose Mourinho, Hans-Joachim Watzke, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund. And in the middle of it all: Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
After Dortmund reportedly turned down an offer for the Armenian midfielder last week, agent Mino Raiola has gone on the offensive. Mkhitaryan is desperate to leave, claims Raiola, and Dortmund had given him their word to let him go this summer.
Dortmund, for their part, fiercely deny that they ever said Mkhitaryan could leave, but that hasn't stopped Raiola. With an £18million transfer fee and a doubled salary on the table, the Armenian's agent has said it would be 'a sin' to abandon hope of a move to United.
Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a wanted man with United chasing his signature
On the one hand, there is Raiola: the super agent who always gets his way. On the other, there is Borussia Dortmund, a club well versed in having their ranks pillaged by richer clubs.
The German club have long abandoned hope that Mkhitaryan will extend his contract. Their plan is to do as they did when Bayern came for Robert Lewandowski. Mkhitaryan will have to fulfil his contract, and Dortmund will lose him on a free.
It may sound like madness to lose yet another star player for nothing next year, but the tactic has worked before. Lewandowski scored 20 goals in his last season for Dortmund, despite having wanted to move away a year earlier.
As they did back then, Dortmund have enough cash in the bank to take the financial hit. In short, they need Mkhitaryan far more than they need United's money.
The Armenian is, after all, in the form of his life. Having struggled under Jurgen Klopp, Mkhitaryan has been a player transformed under new boss Thomas Tuchel.
He notched up 23 goals and 32 assists in all competitions for Dortmund, around four times as many as the previous season. Unsuited to Klopp's pressing and counter-attacking style, Mkhitaryan has been unchained by Tuchel's more possession-based game.
Quote:
MKHITARYAN'S STATISTICS
All Comps 2015-16
Team---------Borussia Dortmund
Games Played : 52
Minutes Played : 4383
Goals : 23
Shots, Total (ex. Blocks) : 119
Shots, on Target : 58
Shooting Accuracy : 48.74
Shot Conversion Rate (ex. Blocks) : 19.33
Assists : 26
Goals/Assists : 49
Mins/goal involvement : 89.4
Passes : 2426
Passing Accuracy : 77.29
Chances Created (inc. assists) :136
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Tuchel has also helped Mkhitaryan with his confidence. A quiet, emotional individual, Mkhitaryan is not one for extravagant hairstyles or social media gaffes. His sensitivity is sometimes debilitating. He struggled, for example, with Jurgen Klopp's physically demanding training sessions, and he refused to take a penalty in the shootout against Bayern in the German Cup final.
Yet Tuchel has worked through the psychological issues to liberate Mkhitaryan as a player. 'When he arrived, he told he would make me a world class forward,' said the Armenian of his coach. 'I didn't believe him at first, but he did it, and I'm very grateful to him.'
Grateful enough to forgo a move to Manchester United? That is yet to be seen, but if Mkhitaryan wants to repay Tuchel, another year at Dortmund would be a suitable sacrifice.
The Dortmund coach is in the process of building his own generation. Having lost Mats Hummels to Bayern and brought in five new players this summer already, Tuchel is beginning to put the final nails in the coffin of the Klopp era.
He knows, however, that he can't do it too quickly. Players like Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be needed to bridge the gap between the age of Klopp and the age of Tuchel.
Whether or not a move to Manchester United and Jose Mourinho's pragmatism would suit the sensitive flair player Mkhitaryan is also doubtful. The battle, though, will rage on.
Dortmund, determined not to lose their outstanding player of last season, will not give him up without a scrap. Mino Raiola, the man who has forced more moves than most of us have had hot dinners, is a scrapper extraordinaire.
In the middle of it all is Mkhitaryan. The shy but brilliant attacking midfielder who stands at the peak of his career, wondering where to go next.
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