Following the withdrawal of Manchester City from the pursuit of Alexis Sanchez, Manchester United remain the favorite to land the striker whose contract expires at the Emirates at the end of the current term. In a bid to expedite the deal to secure the attacker, Manchester United offered to trade Mkhitaryan in a straight swap deal for Sanchez but the Armenia international’s agent Mino Raiola said his client will only go if he is happy with the contract offered by Arsenal.
According to Express, Mkhitaryan, 28, has two-and-a-half years left on his Old Trafford contract worth around £20m and is likely to demand a “golden goodbye” payment because he hasn’t asked to leave. Raiola made it clear the player will not be bullied into the move by saying.
According to him “United are not going to sign Sanchez unless Mkhi agrees to join Arsenal. He is going to do what is best for him. He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, so it’s his decision.
“Sanchez is part of Mkhi’s deal. Not the other way around. Without him, Sanchez simply cannot go to United. Mkhi’s problems at United are purely related to playing football. He has no problem with the manager. It is not personal. He doesn’t have to leave. At this moment the chances of a move to Arsenal are low, but life is dynamic.
This is a great deal for Arsenal. They need better, younger players and they have to invest. So it’s up to Arsenal to put a deal in place and right now a deal is a long way off.”
Although Chelsea have reportedly soft-pedaled in the pursuit of Sanchez, the reluctance by the Armenian to join Arsenal could force the Blues to redouble efforts more so that West Ham are said to be rejecting a loan offer for Andy Carroll.
