Liverpool have opened talks with Shakhtar Donetsk for Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The Guardian says the arrival of Mkhitaryan for what is expected to be a fee of £22m would represent something of a coup for Liverpool, with the Armenian having proved prolific for a Shakhtar side who impressed in the Champions League last term.

The Ukrainian club's chief executive, Sergey Palkin, had suggested that there had been no official contact with Liverpool over the player, who scored 25 league goals last season, but that approach is now understood to have occurred and Anfield officials are hopeful about concluding a deal.