Shakhtar chief executive Sergey Palkin has reaffirmed his stance that the Liverpool has still not made an approach for Armenian midfielder Mkhitaryan, who scored 24 goals from midfield last season.
Mkhitaryan recently emerged as a leading candidate on Brendan Rodgers’s summer wish list with reports in the player’s native Armenia alleging that he was set to head to England for negotiations over a £22million deal that would have seen him join the ranks at Anfield.
The 24-year-old, however, dismissed those claims despite failing to report to Shakhtar last Sunday for pre-season training.
Palkin said: “Mkhitaryan has not appeared for training. We do not know if he will arrive in the near future. He will be fined.
“He has not had any contact with Liverpool. I am confident that reports of negotiations are just rumours. Liverpool have not made an enquiry about the player,” he said in an interview with Russian Sport Daily.
“We have not heard that Mkhitaryan wants to leave. All questions about his behaviors need to be addressed to him.”
