23 goals and 32 assists: Tottenham given double boost in bid to beat Arsenal to playmaker ace

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Published on:

07 Jun 2016, 7:55 am

By London correspondent Tony Hughes

Tottenham have been given a double boost in their bid to sign Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The Armenia international is a player in demand after a sensational season that ended with him being voted the Bundesliga player of the year by respected German publication Kicker.

As reported by Football Insider last week, Spurs have been alerted to the 27-year-old stalling on signing a new Dortmund contract.

Mkhitaryan's current contract expires in 12 months, which has prompted interest from a string of leading European clubs including Arsenal and Juventus.

Kicker claimed on Monday night that the German club have failed to persuade the 27-year-old to sign a new deal.

He has flatly refused to commit to a fresh agreement without the inclusion of a release clause.

However, Dortmund no longer allow players to include such fees in their deals after Germany forward Mario Gotze’s was triggered by their big rivals Bayern Munich three years ago.

A Tottenham source has told Football Insider that the German Cup finalists are now ready to sell Mkhitaryan, who has just a year left on his contract.

Spurs are evaluating the player's background and his pedigree and have asked to be kept informed about his situation.

They are confident they have an advantage over Arsenal as the Bundesliga star plays in the same No10 role as their record signing Mesut Ozil.

Mkhitaryan has had a brilliant season for Dortmund, scoring 23 goals and supplying an incredible 32 assists in 52 matches in all competitions.

In the Bundesliga alone, he scored 11 times and provided 20 assists from 31 games.

In other Tottenham transfer news, the club are ready to sell a 23-year-old attacker amid interest from two Premier League outfits.

Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur