Brendan Rogers has given up with Armenian striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the verge of signing for Borussia Dortmund, according to multiple reports in Germany, including Bild and Kicker.
It will now be Jurgen Klopp’s responsibility to learn how to pronounce the 24-year-old’s name with a €25 million ($32 million) move from Shakhtar Donetsk on the horizon.
Mkhitaryan, a Mino Raiola client, burst onto the scene last year, scoring 25 goals in 29 Ukranian Premier Liga matches, and assisting in 10 others. With Mario Gotze headed off to Bayern Munich, Dortmund
With the Gotze transfer alone bringing in €37 million ($47.5 million), Dortmund executive director Hans-Joachim Watzke has said his club has up to €50 million ($64.2 million) to spend this summer, declaring “money can solve things pretty quickly.”
This news comes just days after Dortmund secured St. Etienne striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a reported €13 million ($16.7 million). Aubameyang has netted 35 times in 73 Ligue 1 matches over the last two seasons.
Watzke said, “We will sign two or three attacking players and one of them will be a player for the future.”
It’s not surprise Mkhitaryan picked Dortmund over Liverpool considering each club’s current standing in European soccer, with Dortmund having finished runners-up in the Champions League last year and the Reds struggling for a place in the Europa League.
Liverpool were reportedly willing to pay the transfer fee for Mkhitaryan, but they never got a chance to pitch their side to the Armenian striker before he decided Dortmund was the place for him.