Borussia Dortmund mull Mkhitaryan sale after United up offer
Berlin (dpa) – Borussia Dortmund are to decide by the weekend on the
sale of midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan after receiving an improved
offer from Manchester United.
Borussia chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Germany’s Funke
media group Tuesday the club wanted to make a decision before
training resumes on Monday.
Watzke had previously spoken out against selling the 27-year-old
Armenia international.
«We now have a different starting position. Manchester United have
improved their offer,» Watzke said.
The Premier League club are thought to have offered 40 million euros
(44 million dollars) for the player, who has a contract at Dortmund
for another season. That would be the highest sum received by a
Bundesliga club for a player with just a year left on his contract.
If the deal goes through, Dortmund will have sold three of the club’s
top players after Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich and Ilkay Guendogan
to Manchester City.
Dortmund are certain to reinvest, with three Germany internationals –
Andre Schuerrle (Wolfsburg), Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich) and Karim
Bellarabi (Bayer Leverkusen) – seen as candidates to join Thomas
Tuchel’s side, which finished runners-up to Bayern last season.
Dortmund have already signed Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro on
a four-year contract.