English Premier League giants Arsenal FC boosted their chance of snagging Borussia Dortmund's Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer after the midfielder reportedly rejected a recent contract extension offer from the Bundesliga side.
Caught Offside reported that Arsenal is given a "major boost" to land Mkhitaryan when the summer transfer window opens on July 1 as the Armenia national team skipper had turned down a new deal from his present German club. It was also mentioned that he "will not sign any new deal for the club this summer" even as this current contract is set to expire next year.
The 27-year-old winger had established himself as one of the best and most versatile playmakers and scorers in Bundesliga this season, placing 15th in the top goalscorers of the German top flight this term with 11 goals 29 appearances for the squad.
Mkhitaryan is first among the top scorers when it comes to assists, though, with 15 through 2,578 minutes of playing time.
The Gunners were said to have already reached out to the attacking midfielder's representatives about his potential move to England this summer but are facing stiff competition from fellow English club Chelsea FC, as per Metro.
However, Arsenal are the favorites to sign Mkhitaryan as manager Arsene Wenger is keen on improving his team's offensive firepower as they intend to once again challenge for the Premier League title next season.
Arsenal finished 2015-2016 second in the English top flight table even as they are short on strikers and playmakers. As of now, the team is led by French striker Olivier Giroud as their primary scorer and German midfielder Mesut Özil as the main playmaker in the midfield.
Although the two are considered as some of the best at their positions, the lack of quality backups for both players had been Wenger's issue all season, with Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, and Alexis Sanchez all had recurring injury problems that contributed to their inconsistencies.
Adding Mkhitaryan would be a big boost not only to Wenger's domestic goals but more importantly to his Champions League aspirations for next season.
Arsenal reached the round-of-16 in this year's edition but were eliminated by La Liga champions FC Barcelona via a lopsided 5-1 aggregate victory.
Barça blanked the Gunners in their first leg 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium while they routed them again, 3-1, during the second leg at the Nou Camp.