Manchester United to pay €42.5m for Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Manchester United are set to pay €42.5 million for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to multiple reports in Germany.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed on Tuesday that United had “significantly improved their offer” and kicker, Ruhr Nachrichten and Bild all report that the Premier League side have nearly doubled their initial €24m (£19.9m) bid to €42.5m (£35.2m).

The reports said Dortmund are set to accept the offer — which would be the biggest transfer fee ever paid for a player entering the final year of his contract in Europe — and the deal will be completed in the coming days.

Kicker said that minor details in the contract are yet to be negotiated and Dortmund want the approval of all bodies of the club before accepting, while Mkhitaryan will have to pass a medical, but a deal appears imminent.

Mkhitaryan, 27, joined Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 for a club record €27.5m fee, but the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, said last week that United are his “dream club” and “he wants to join them by any means.”