5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Shakhtar Donetsk Attacking Midfielder 24 Armenia The Mkhitaryan to Liverpool story is fast becoming a transfer saga and we're not even into July yet! The story first emerged about 3 weeks ago that Brendan Rodgers and the rest of the Liverpool transfer committee were
keen on the Armenian international. And since then, the pin up boy of Armenian football has had 6 medicals at Melwood, been spotted with Ian Ayre (the Managing Director of LFC - for any non-Liverpool supporters) 9 times and has been on about 19 different flights to England - clocking up some serious air mileage! This ongoing story is one of the reasons I hate the transfer window - I'm an impatient guy and when I read the same stories every single day I get bored of the window really quickly. However, this story is one of the reasons I love the window - your team being linked to a true talent is really exciting and at times it gives you real hope that your club is moving forward in terms of playing staff. He is a great player though and a lot of Liverpool fans are really eager for Ian Ayre to wrap this deal up. Mkhitaryan has a lot of strengths that Brendan Rodgers is looking to add to Liverpool's squad. First of all he's a goalscoring midfielder, he completed a Ukrainian league record by scoring 25 goals in one campaign - since Steven Gerrard is now playing slightly deeper under BR it is vital that more midfield goals are added to the team, Mkhitaryan will do this just like Lampard does the same job for Chelsea. Secondly, he has great movement in and around the box which is another part of Liverpool's attack that needed improvement prior to the arrivals of Coutinho and Sturridge. Borini has always been said to have great movement in the box but Reds supporters didn't get to see much of it last season. With Borini back from injury and Mkhitaryan hopefully on the way, Liverpool's attack is potentially looking excellent - even if Suarez decides enough is enough and departs for mainland Europe.
Would he fit?Yes - with Liverpool's desperate need for midfield based goals it certainly seems that Mkhitaryan and Liverpool are a match made in heaven. Henrikh also has vital Champions League experience and this makes him an incredibly valuable target - Liverpool have limited Champions League experience beyond the obvious Gerrard, Reina, Suarez and Agger. Others have tiny experience such as Coutinho and Sturridge so it is clear that Liverpool need a player of this calibre. In a situation where Liverpool are to lose Luis Suarez the potential for Mkhitaryan grows larger. With Sturridge up top and Coutinho drifting in from the left. Mkhitaryan could easily slot into his preferred role in behind the striker. The right is then open for either Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Fabio Borini, Raheem Sterling or even Jordan Ibe. I only mentioned those three because I firmly believe Stewart Downing will be sold this summer - despite his improved form. Couple this with Mkhitaryan's good age and potential for resale value and you have a great asset.