Manchester United transfer news: Jose Mourinho hints Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be sold if price is met
Mkhitaryan has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he is open to letting Henrikh Mkhitaryan leave this January should a club meet his asking price. The Armenian has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford and would be allowed to leave if a respectable offer comes United's way.
The 29-year-old's future has been the subject of intense speculation as a result of his failure to nail down a place in Jose Mourinho's plans at Old Trafford. Mkhitaryan began this season with five assists in the first three top-flight fixtures but his failure to keep up his form has led him to be a bit-part figure in games that count.
However, despite a disappointing display in the Red Devils' goalless draw against Southampton, Mkhitaryan was handed a start against the Championship side in the FA Cup. He was replaced at halftime with Romelu Lukaku as he struggled to prise the lower league open, a move that Mourinho deemed as purely tactical after the game.
The manager has now set his sights on wantaway Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, whose move to Manchester City has reportedly boiled off due to the Citizens' disinclination to meet Arsenal's asking price. The Chilean would be a massive boost to United's front line and help them keep in touch with the leaders and also progress further in the Champions League.
"My approach to players is that every player has a price," Mourinho said when asked directly about whether Mkhitaryan would stay, as quoted by Sky Sports. "It doesn't matter who he is. It doesn't matter the level. It doesn't matter the prestige, the status. I think every player has a price.
"And I am not the kind of blind manager...blind in the sense of, this player is untouchable, can never be sold. I think every player has a price. So when the transfer window is open, it's also open for any club that is interested in our players. Then it's up to us to make the decision: yes or no.
"It's up to us to decide what we think is the right price. But Mkhitaryan played the last match in the FA Cup and probably will play the next one [against Stoke]. He's a little bit the same in relation to other players that are involved in this gossip of the transfer market.
"He is our player and a very good player. So Saturday [he is] training, then Sunday [he is] selected and Monday [he will] play."