Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s former agent reveals how the player nearly joined Liverpool
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s former agent has revealed the incredible turn of events that saw the Armenian very nearly sign for Liverpool.
Dimitry Seluk used to represent Mkhitaryan when the 29-year-old was a young man playing for Ukrainian minnows Metalurh Donetsk.
Seluk recalled how he fell out with Oleg Mkrtchyan, who was the owner of the club at the time, after he sold one of his clients, Aras Ozibiliz, to Spartak Moscow for €8million, but made it look like it was €2million.The football agent claims he was also involved in a dispute with the Armenian football federation, where Mkhitaryan’s mother worked.
Speaking to These Football Times, Seluk said: “Eventually, we parted ways with Mkhitaryan because of that whole situation.
“And that’s when Henrikh’s sister, who had been working with UEFA for years, introduced him to Mino Raiola.
“Obviously, by that time, Mkhitaryan had already become a well-known player, and when Borussia Dortmund offered Shakhtar €27million for Henrikh, suddenly Raiola was all over him.
“Although I had already talked to Liverpool who were also interested in Mkhitaryan and wanted to sign him. If Mkrtchyan hadn’t lied to me and we hadn’t parted ways with Henrikh, he would have been a Liverpool player.”
Speaking of Mkhitaryan’s January move to Arsenal, the agent said: “It was nice to see Manchester United agreeing to give up their player for Sánchez instead of just waiting until Alexis would be out of contract and signing him for free. That’s what it means to be a top club. Obviously, Mourinho and Henrikh didn’t get along very well but it was still a noble act. And a good deal for both parties.”
“From Mkhitaryan’s perceptive, it could totally be a bit of a blow to his ego. He’s a very ambitious, very professional guy. And when a player is not the star of a move but rather a part of a deal, it could affect people. I don’t know what exactly has happened between Mourinho and Henrikh but I think we’re talking about purely professional reasons. He was just not suitable for José’s style,” Seluk said.
