Friday, 5th July, 2013
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke insists the club will not be pulling out all the stops to sign Shakhtar Donetsk man Henrikh Mkhitaryan, less than 24 hours after capturing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
While Dortmund have always been keen on Mkhitaryan as a player, Shakhtar Donetsk have been vehement in their expectation of a €30m offer for a player who is also coveted by Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Aubameyang was yesterday confirmed as a Dortmund player on a five-year deal with a transfer fee believed to be in the region of €18m, and Dortmund have many more players on their radar.
With Shakhtar Donetsk general director Sergei Palkin making doubly sure that Mkhitaryan would not be sold for less than €30m, unless the player himself breaks his own contract by paying a $30m termination fee, Watzke believes Dortmund will not be drawn into a buy-at-all-costs situation.
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"With money we could solve everything quickly", Watzke was quoted by Bild as saying. "But we want to continue to act in a way that also makes economic sense."
Dortmund have already tabled a €23m bid for Mkhitaryan, which is the player’s termination fee, while Anzhi Makhachkala took somewhat of a lead with a €35m offer.
Liverpool are understood to be the player’s preferred option, but his current coach Mircea Lucescu has warned Mkhitaryan of the dangers of joining a club he believes are not better than Shakhtar Donetsk.
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