Manchester United Transfer News: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan Deals Expected To Be Finalized This Week
Manchester United are expected to complete the purchases of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer later this week.
If these transfers occurred, then they would be the club’s second and third purchases of the summer, following their capture of Eric Bailly from Villarreal on June 8, which set them back £30 million (around $40 million).
The Guardian has alleged that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will set the Premier League club back the same amount of money, while Ibrahimovic has been looking for a new club ever since he left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.
The Guardian: Manchester United close in on Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic deals https://t.co/L7MOAMq81B #mufc
— Manchester Utd News (@ManUtdThe42) June 26, 2016
Ibrahimovic has been rather busy over the last few weeks ever since the end of the Ligue 1 season, as he has been preparing and then playing for Sweden in the 2016 European Championships, which have been taking place in France since the start of the month.
During this same period, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been discussing and teasing his future to the press, with most of hints suggesting that he wants to move to the Premier League and that his most likely destination would be to Old Trafford and Manchester United.
Now that Sweden’s participation in Euro 2016 has come to an end, they were knocked out in the group stages after they lost to Belgium and Italy and could only draw with the Republic Of Ireland, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to confirm his future in the next few days, and now the publication has reported that he will hold talks with new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho this week.
Mourinho, who was appointed as Manchester United manager in May after Louis Van Gaal’s tumultuous two-year reign at Old Trafford came to an abrupt end, is thought to be very keen on bringing these two players in.
While Ibrahimovic’s impending transfer to Manchester United is hardly surprising following his month-long flirtation with the move, the increased speculation regarding Mkhitaryan has come as somewhat of a shock. But a pleasant one, as he is seen as the perfect solution to a midfield problem that has blighted Manchester United for several seasons now.
The Armenian international was actually bought by Borussia Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2013, costing the German club around $30 million. The midfielder has excelled since he arrived in Germany and played in the Bundesliga. But while that would usually mean that the cost of his fee would be a substantial amount higher, Manchester United are confident of signing Mkhitaryan as he only has one year left of his contract left to run.
It also helps that Mkhitaryan is believed to be after a brand new challenge and has allegedly already made his intention and desire to move to the Premier League known. Borussia Dortmund have also now admitted defeat in their pursuit to keep Mkhitaryan on their books, and they’re now open to hearing offers for the player.
It’s already believed that Mkhitaryan will be offered a four- or five-year contract by Manchester United, while it’s thought that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will just be offered a one-year deal by the club.
Here we go. Manchester United close to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic deals https://t.co/P9d0FnDl1G #mufc With @FabrizioRomano
— Marcus Christenson (@m_christenson) June 25, 2016
The Swede is keen to move to Manchester United so that he can rekindle his working relationship with Jose Mourinho, who coached Ibrahimovic when the Portuguese coach managed at Internazionale in the 2008-2009 season.
In fact, Ibrahimovic, who announced that he would quit international football following Euro 2016, recently teased reuniting with Mourinho, remarking that he “had a fantastic time with him at Inter and we said when I left that we might work together again.”
[Image via Getty/Laurence Griffiths & Dean Mouhtaropoulos]
