Arsenal are said to be monitoring Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan carefully and will look to sign the Armenian international come the summer transfer window, reports The Guardian.
Mkhitaryan joined Dortmund three years ago from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk for £23.5m and is reportedly deciding intently between choosing to sign a contract extension with Dortmund or sign for the Gunners – who are looking to sign at least two high-profile midfielders this summer.
Mkhitaryan has been in the form of his life already scoring 20 goals for Thomas Tuchel's men in all competitions and looks like the mobile kind of midfielder Arsenal really need. With Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere out injured for most of the season, the Gunners don't seem to have a midfielder capable of continuously finding space behind the likes of Mesut Ozil.
Arsenal are set to lose Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini this summer and Arsene Wenger – who will soon celebrate 20 years at the club – is adamant to prepare diligently for the upcoming season with the additions of quality midfielders. The Gunners have also reportedly agreed terms and are willing to sign Swiss international midfielder, Granit Xhaka – who will add some much-needed presence and composure in the centre of the field.
According to the same Guardian report, Arsenal are also reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid's Toni Kroos and Southampton's Victor Wanyama. The Real Madrid man has had his share of critics playing for the Madrid club but will relish the chance to team up with compatriots Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker at the Emirates.
Wanyama, meanwhile, has been a favourite for Arsene Wenger ever since he broke onto the scene after moving from Celtic to the St Mary's. In Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny, Arsenal still lack a big strong defender capable of shrugging off players and stealing the ball.
From all the talk so far – and the likely signing of Xhaka – it looks like Arsenal are beginning to finally buck the trend to sign big and sign early.
