Dortmund star Henrikh Mkhitaryan is pursuing his move to Manchester United this summer despite Borussia Dortmund’s reluctance to sell the midfielder.
Mkhitaryan has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks with a £19 million bid reportedly been turned down by the Bundesliga runner-ups.
Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild: “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.”
Newly appointed Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho has identified the 27-year-old as one of his prime target this summer but Dortmund are refusing to sell their star playmaker.
However, Mkhitaryan’s agent Mino Raiola, who also represents other high-profile footballers including Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, remains optimistic of striking a deal for the Armenian International.
“It would be a sin to stop talking,” Raiola said. “I am a positive guy. If I wasn’t confident of reaching some kind of conclusion, I wouldn’t try.
“I am very proud Manchester United want him and the talks are being held in a good atmosphere, but at the moment Dortmund are still saying no.”
Raiola declared last week that Mkhitaryan, who scored 23 goals and provided 32 assists last season, wants to move to Man United this summer.
Dortmund, meanwhile, have already sold centre-half Mats Hummels to arch-rivals Bayern Munich and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City are are reluctant to sell any more regular starters for next season.
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