Arsenal are planning to leave Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of their squad for the all-important Europa League final against Chelsea unless Uefa can provide assurances that his presence in Azerbaijan will not affect their safety.

Mkhitaryan stayed in London for Arsenal’s trip to Baku in the group stages of the competition due to security concerns related to diplomatic tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

A longstanding conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has destroyed diplomatic relations between the two countries, and Mkhitaryan has been forced to avoid the country in recent years. He also missed a Borussia Dortmund match there earlier in his career.

Arsenal said they were “hugely concerned” that Uefa’s choice of venue could prevent one of their highest-earning attacking players from being able to compete in the most important match of their season.

Uefa has indicated in recent weeks that it would be willing to lean on the authorities in order to secure a visa for Mkhitaryan, but Arsenal’s concerns are over security and the safety of the squad in Baku later this month.