Arsenal have growing confidence that they will land Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Mykhaylo Mudryk
According to Football Insider, Premier League leaders Arsenal are growing confident of finalising a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk ahead of the 2023 January transfer window.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been keeping tabs on the Ukrainian for some time now and it comes as no surprise that they are now ready to make their move. The 21-year-old is an excellent dribbler and can both create and score goals. This will add further bite to a Gunners attack that has been hitting the heights this season.
Having come through the ranks at Shakhtar, Mudryk is primarily a left winger. He is equally capable of playing on the other flank and is mobile enough to fit right into Arteta’s system. Signing him will help the Arsenal boss use Gabriel Martinelli upfront, given Gabriel Jesus’s injury setback.
The Gunners have made an offer of over £45 million and hope to wrap the deal up before the end of the week. Doing so will leave them in a strong position as we head into the business end of the 2022/23 season.
Despite a five-point lead at the top of the table, Arsenal are overly reliant on their starting XI and could fall away should they suffer a dip in form. It would be unrealistic to expect the same players to perform for 90 minutes of every game, making rotation more of a necessity rather than a luxury.
The 21-year-old will give the Gunners the perfect foil for Bukayo Saka. The duo could wreak havoc on the flanks, freeing up space for the likes of Martin Odegaard to pull the strings in the middle of the park. Given the age of the players up front, Arsenal could build a solid core that evolves and plays together for years to come.
As things stand, Arsenal’s offer falls well short of the £60 million that Shakhtar are holding out for. The Ukrainian club are, however, aware they need to sell their star man who has already made his affection for Arsenal clear.
It could come down to Arsenal coming back with an offer that Shakhtar cannot refuse. Failing to strengthen in January could very well prove decisive given that Manchester City are well capable of turning Arsenal’s five-point lead on its head. Mudryk could very well be a difference-maker come game week 38 of this season’s Premier League campaign.
The Gunners are not the only club in the fray for the 21-year-old. However, they hold all the aces in transfer negotiations and can only blame themselves should the deal fall apart.
