Manchester United on brink of signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan

It's time to start getting excited, folks. The Guardian's Raphael Honigstein, about as trustworthy a football journalist as it is possible to find, has revealed that a deal bringing Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United is not only not a figment of the tabloids' imagination, but actually very close to being done. He revealed on Twitter that a Dortmund official has been dispatched to Manchester to discuss terms, and a move could be completed quickly:

Dortmund have sent an official to Manchester, Mkhitaryan deal nearly done

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) June 26, 2016

Mkhitaryan is certainly a very good player, and is a playmaker that seems very much in the Mourinho mould. Physical as well as creative, the Armenian international would, we imagine, appeal to United's new boss much more than Juan Mata (sorry, Juan). It remains to be seen whether he's merely very good or world class -- he is, after all, 27 years old -- though he certainly will improve United's starting lineup. With the reported fee reportedly only €30 million, this could prove a very shrewd deal.