'Henrikh Mkhitaryan going to Juventus wouldn't be a surprise'

The Armenian has been linked with a move to the Bianconeri, with the player’s agent Mino Raiola hinting that a move could happen.

Former Inter Coach Lucescu, who is now at Shakhtar, coached the 25-year-old before he moved to the Bundesliga, and says he would fit in well in Serie A.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at Juve,” Tuttosport quotes Lucescu as saying.

“He’s a guy who needs to feel loved and Dortmund have put him under too much pressure. I think his time at Borussia is over.

“I could easily see him playing behind Llorente and Tevez, or indeed any great champions. Mkhitaryan is quicker and a more willing runner than [other rumoured target Wesley] Sneijder.

“Henrikh is a complete player, he creates, wins the ball and counter attacks. Now he has to find the right environment.

“In Germany he’s been greeted with suspicion because he’s Armenian.”

Tuttosport also reports that Juventus have already submitted a bid for the player, which was turned down by Borussia Dortmund.

The newspaper believes that Raiola is trying to engineer the move, and is working with the Bianconeri to make it happen. A bid of €2m for a six month loan is said to have been rejected, in a deal which would see the move become permanent for between €15m and €18m.

Part of the reason for the rejection is thought to be that Dortmund do not want to lose the player for their Champions League campaign, where they will face Juventus in the last-16.

Mkhitaryan wouldn’t be eligible to play against Dortmund as he would be cup-tied, but it’s thought that BVB are unwilling to weaken a side which is languishing near the bottom of the Bundesliga.