After reports surrounding Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s reluctance to continue being a Dortmund player, his teammate and co-star Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also on the verge of declining a contract extension according to his agent.
German newspaper Bild reports that Mkhitarayan is set to refuse a contract extension which would keep him at the club till 2021. The agent of the Armenian star, who recently scored a hat-trick for the national team, was quoted as saying (via ESPN FC), “Why should we prolong it now?”
The contract renewal saga has been a protracted one and a particularly exhausting one for Dortmund officials as the Armenian is refusing a contract extension since January. Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang have both had a spectacular season under Tuchel and as a result are now being courted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Dortmund officials had said that there would be a resolution soon, after failing to announce the good news following Dortmund’s defeat to Bayern in the DFB Pokal.
The Heartbreak Continues
Very few football stories in recent history are as heart rending as Dortmund’s. Their consistent failure to get the better of rivals and competitors Bayern Munich, both in the league as well as in Europe, is only matched by their consistent failure to keep hold of their stars. Every year they lose their stars and this year seems no different as they seem to have already lost playmaker Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City and long time captain Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich.
Interest from Abroad
Having scored 18 goals and given 20 assists, Juventus and Arsenal are in pole position to lure the 27-year-old playmaker out of Dortmund. Arsenal having already secured the services of Granit Xhaka from Monchengladbach, and are looking to add a creative midfielder and a star name to their roster.
Juve’s pursuit of an advanced playmaker, however, is a season old. Last year, the failure to secure Julian Draxler from another German club Schalke resulted in them getting want-away Inter midfielder Hernanes on a loan spell. Hernanes wasn’t what Allegri hoped he would be which is why Juve are in the market once again for a trequartista.
