Mkhitaryan says no to Saudi Arabia and MLS: wants to stay at Inter

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has shut the door on anyone hoping to lure him away from Milan. In an interview with Armenian television, the Inter midfielder ruled out a move to Saudi Arabia, Armenia or MLS, explaining that money has never driven his career choices: he says he changed clubs only to chase his own ambitions and the dreams he had as a child. The comments come just months after a contract extension that ties him to Inter until 2027, when the midfielder will be 38.

On a possible retirement, Mkhitaryan stays vague and refuses to set a date: he says he "cannot promise anything", because at this age he cannot make "long-term plans" and has to take things one day at a time. That same approach shows in how he is used on the pitch: he is no longer an automatic starter, but a resource Cristian Chivu rations match by match, as the player himself confirmed after the 3-0 win over Parma, saying it makes no difference to him whether he plays 90, 60 or 15 minutes.

For those who have him on their roster, the most important news is the one that did not happen: no transfer risk in January, no early exit to a smaller league. Mkhitaryan remains an Inter option, but he also remains what he has been since the start of the season: a midfielder to use with caution, more useful as a substitute than as a 90-minute starter. In Fantacalcio Rainbow his price of 6 makes him the cheapest midfield option in an Inter roster where Calhanoglu (29), Barella (19) and Zielinski (13) absorb most of the budget: a last-pick profile, useful to round out a roster rather than to build around.

His returns, for what it's worth, reward those who start him: in the 1-10 price bracket a high rating is already worth +2, and Mkhitaryan's season balance stands at +1, with a last movement of +2 at matchday six. A sign that when Chivu sends him on, the Armenian delivers, even at 37. Playing-time consistency remains the real issue for whoever keeps him on the roster: with Inter playing every three days between the league and the Champions League, chances for Mkhitaryan will come, but almost always in small doses, and whoever starts him will need to keep judging it match by match, exactly as he says he lives his own career.

What remains is a question of physical durability more than of the transfer market: at 37, with an Inter midfield that needs fresh legs for every fixture across the league and the Champions League, Chivu will likely keep managing him this way for the rest of the season, rationing his minutes game by game. For those who drafted him expecting a starter, these latest comments confirm the role will stay what it already is: a first choice off the bench, useful when he comes on, but not to be expected from the first minute barring rotation or a midfield injury crisis.