Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined Arsenal in January, moving in the opposite direction to Manchester United-bound Alexis Sanchez.
Had things panned out differently, however, the Armenian could have been plying his trade at Anfield.
As part of an intriguing interview given to These Football Times, Dimitry Seluk, Mkhitaryan’s former agent, explains how he nearly moved to Liverpool.
Seluk had represented the 29-year-old during his days as a Metaluruh Donetsk player. Aras Ozibiliz, another of his clients, had also been playing for Metaluruh at that time. Ozibiliz was later sold to Spartak Moscow for a fee that was made to look like it was €2million by Metaluruh owner, Oleg Mkrtchyan. In actual fact, Seluk claims, the deal amounted to €8million, causing the pair to fall out.
The agent also claims he was involved in a dispute with the Armenian football association, where Mkhitaryan’s mother worked. This, he explains, prompted him to part ways with Mkhitaryan, paving the way for the player’s sister to introduce him to current agent, Mino Raiola.
By this time, Mkhitaryan had joined Shakhtar Donetsk, and was one of the Ukranian side’s most important players. A €27m move to Borussia Dortmund soon followed, but Seluk claims Liverpool were keen to sign him at this stage.
“Mkhitaryan had already become a well-known player, and when Borussia Dortmund offered Shakhtar €27m for Henrikh, suddenly Raiola was all over him,” he explains.
“Although I had already talked to Liverpool who were also interested in Mkhitaryan and wanted to sign him.
“If Mkhitaryan hadn’t lied to me and we hadn’t parted ways with Henrikh, he would have been a Liverpool player.”
Eventually, having been voted best player in the Bundesliga in 2015/16, Mkhitaryan joined United. After glimpses of his best at Old Trafford, he reportedly fell out with Mourinho, who sanctioned his switch to Arsenal earlier this season.
