Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Will Regret Striking out on Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Liverpool has plenty of work to do before it can be considered a championship contender in the English Premier League this coming season, and that's why the latest news surrounding the club is deflating.

Already the Reds have been dealt a major blow this summer, missing out on talented midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who signed with Borussia Dortmund this week, according to the Mirror's Alex Hankin.

Now, with it looking more and more likely that the club will eventually part ways with goalscoring machine Luis Suarez (23 Premier League goals in 2012-13), Brendan Rodgers is quickly running out of time and options to replenish a squad that finished seventh in the league table a season ago.

If Suarez does find a new home this summer, Liverpool will have to ratchet up its desperate search for top-flight attacking stars to play behind Daniel Sturridge, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury.

But striking out on Mkhitaryan hurts Liverpool not only next season, but down the road as well. He wouldn't have been signed as a stopgap but as an elite talent who had the potential to become the face of the club.

The 24-year-old Armenian is a dangerous goal-getting midfielder with limitless potential and very few weaknesses and holes in his game.

Everything Mkhitaryan has showed us on and off the pitch suggests that he's a budding star who could have become Rodgers' go-to player in midfield. 

Not only is he a handful around the box with and without the ball, but he's incredibly versatile, excelling both as a central striker and as an attacking midfielder with the ball at his feet. Liverpool will also miss out on one of the most hardworking young players in the game.

You won't see Mkhitaryan take any plays off, which makes him that much more dangerous given all of his remarkable physical traits. 

If this were Manchester United or Chelsea, this missed opportunity wouldn't sting nearly as much. But Rodgers and company have some serious catching up to do, and if Suarez is moved soon, the squad will have gotten worse through the transfer window instead of improving.

When you combine Mkhitaryan's talent with Liverpool's needs, his signing with Dortmund this summer is nearly as damaging to the Reds as it is helpful to the UEFA Champions League runner-up.

For a team like Liverpool, several pieces away from being considered championship caliber, missing out on a talent like Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a crucial blow, and it will come back to haunt the Reds. 

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