Arsenal boss Unai Emery is looking to offload Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the end of the season with the former Manchester United star now a wage burden.
The Armenia midfielder is receiving close to £200,000-a-week at the Emirates, similar to what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang receives. Mesut Ozil receives a whopping £350,000-a-week.
The Arsenal boss revealed in January that he only had money to sign players on loan, but it is expected that he will get £45m for the summer transfer window.
The former Sevilla boss is looking to trim the Arsenal’s wage bill, with Mkhitaryan emerging as the likely victim.
Despite working with a stringent transfer budget, Emery is likely to be plotting a summer of upheaval at Arsenal.
Arsenal are set to lose two players at the end of the season with Aaron Ramsey joining Juventus and Petr Cech retiring.
Danny Welbeck’s deal expires at the end of this season and he is expected to depart for nothing. Key to Arsenal’s overhaul is whether they return to the lucrative Champions League, where the riches on offer could in turn allow Emery to work with more money.
They are currently fourth in the Premier League table with 60 points from 30 games, two clear of fifth-place Manchester United. Arsenal are next in action on Monday, at home to Newcastle.
Meanwhile, according to a report from the Daily Mail, the latest centre-half to be linked with an Old Trafford move is FC Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti.
Apparently, sources close to the player are saying that United had scouts watching him take on Iceland last night – as the club continue to do their homework before the transfer window opens.
Furthermore, Barcelona would consider selling the 25-year-old to the Old Trafford club, in order to fund a move for their top target, Mathijs de Ligt.
Umtiti would be a brilliant addition. He’s at a great age, with experience aplenty already under his belt.
The Frenchman would be a huge upgrade on what we have in the squad, while also being that vocal leader that this time lacks.
He probably wouldn’t come cheap, however, but if anyone can afford to buy him, it’s United. Alongside Victor Lindelof, it’d be a partnership that oozes class and has massive potential going forward.
Hopefully, United can back up their interest with a firm bid in the not too distant future to really get this ball rolling.