Manchester United to get Mkhitaryan answer this week

Borussia Dortmund will “solve” Henrikh Mkhirtaryan’s future at the club this week, according to CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, as Manchester United pursue a deal.

The 27-year-old midfielder is reportedly top of Jose Mourinho’s wishlist at Old Trafford, with a £26.3million fee thought to have been agreed between United and Dortmund.

Mino Raiola, Mkhitaryan’s agent, has made no secret of the move’s potential – labelling United his client’s dream club and saying it would be “a sin” if he did not chase the deal.

Mkhitaryan scored 18 goals for Dortmund in 2015-16, and picked up the Bundesliga Players’ Player of the Season award, but the Armenia international could be a Premier League player in a matter of days.

Watzke told Kicker that Dortmund wanted clarity on Mkhitaryan’s future ahead of the start of the club’s pre-season training on July 4.

He said: “We will assess his situation this week. We not only need to discuss it with [sporting director] Michael Zorc and [coach] Thomas Tuchel, but also with the bodies.

“It is a difficult decision. There are three perspectives with every transfer: An economical, a strategic and a sporting. If the economical side becomes overwhelming it might happen that you make a different decision in the end.”

United have already made their first moves into the transfer market with Mourinho as manager, signing Villarreal defender Eric Bailly, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also expected to link up with his former Inter coach on a free transfer.