Arsenal are expecting to leave Henrikh Mkhitaryan at home for the Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku on May 29 for fear that his presence will be a security risk and distraction for the rest of the squad and staff.

Diplomatic tensions between Mkhitaryan's native Armenia and Azerbaijan, the host nation for the final, exist because of a longstanding conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. The midfielder could be a target for an attack because of unconfirmed rumours that he has visited the disputed region in recent years.

There is significant anger within the club that he could be forced to miss such an important match, the winners of which qualify for next season's Champions League.

Arsenal have sought assurances about Mkhitaryan's safety from Uefa and were told that the governing body would increase security and ensure that he obtained a visa.

The club believe there would still be a significant risk because Mkhitaryan is a high-profile player. It is also felt that the Armenia captain's presence would have an impact on the rest of the team and staff during their time in the city.

Arsenal will make a final decision by early next week because the team are scheduled to fly to Baku a week on Saturday, four days before the match.

Mkhitaryan, 30, has played in 11 of Arsenal's 14 Europa League matches and scored for Manchester United when they beat Ajax in the final two years ago. The midfielder did not apply for a visa when Arsenal played Qarabag in Baku in the group stage in October.

Uefa has indicated that it will lean on the authorities in Azerbaijan to try to ensure that there are no problems in obtaining a visa this time around and could also use the fact that it has named Baku's Olympic Stadium as a venue for four matches at Euro 2020 as leverage.

Arsenal have also raised concerns with Uefa over the costs and logistics faced by supporters wanting to travel to Baku. Flights from London have been priced at about £1,000, which has put off many season ticket-holders from both clubs. Arsenal and Chelsea have made their 6,000 allocation available to their wider database of supporters, including members, which is unprecedented for a showcase final.

It is estimated that there may be between 2,000 and 3,000 supporters from each club who travel from London, supplemented by fans from Europe. A number of Arsenal fans from Armenia or those that are British-Armenian say that they have been denied a visa.

"Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are," Arsenal said in a statement. "We have 45,000 season ticketholders and for so many fans to miss out due to Uefa selecting a final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right. The reality is that whoever reached the final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters.

"We have received many complaints from our fans about this and we fully share their concerns. We would like to understand the criteria by which venues are selected for finals, and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this.

"Moving forward we would urge Uefa to ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues as what has happened this season is unacceptable and cannot be repeated. We would be happy to join any future discussions to avoid this situation happening again."

Ivan Gazidis, the then Arsenal chairman, was on Uefa's executive committee when the decision to award the final to Baku was made in September 2017.