Borussia Dortmund are ready to make a big money bid for Bayer Leverkusen winger Karim Bellarabi, as they look to line up a replacement for Manchester United target Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
While publicly stating that they want to hold on to Mkhitaryan for the last year of his contract, Dortmund have softened their stance and are ready to accept €40m for the Armenia captain.
Manchester United have reportedly placed a bid close to Dortmund’s asking price, and there are suggestions that the 27-year-old winger could be on his way to Old Trafford soon.
Thomas Tuchel has already contacted Wolfsburg winger Andre Schurrle as potential replacement for Mkhitaryan, but it seems the former Chelsea man is not the only player on their radar.
According to Bild, Dortmund are ramping up their interest in Leverkusen winger Bellarabi, and are willing to dig deep into their pockets in order to bring the Germany international to the Westfalenstadion.
relatedNewsStory
It has been claimed that Leverkusen rejected a €24m offer from Dortmund around a month ago, but BVB have not lost hope and are ready to slap in €36m for Bellarabi.
Bellarabi was in pristine form for Leverkusen last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions.
He has a contract until 2020 with the club.
