Premier League leaders Arsenal are reportedly set to ramp up their efforts to bring Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, but face competition from fellow top-four sides Manchester City, and Newcastle United.
Manchester City and Newcastle United target Mykhaylo Mudryk is among the players on Arsenal’s January shopping list. That’s according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs (via GIVE ME SPORT), who claims the Gunners are likely to explore a winter swoop for the 21-year-old Ukrainian wonderkid.
Mudryk rose through the academy ranks at Shakhtar Donetsk before making his senior debut during the 2018/19 campaign. He has caught the eye of many European clubs with his sensational output and stellar attacking attributes in the last few months.
He has scored 10 goals and provided another 8 in 18 appearances across all competitions and earned plaudits for his impressive performances in the Champions League group stage, netting three times and grabbing two assists.
As alluded to above, Mudryk is in hot demand in the transfer market, with Premier League sides Newcastle United and Manchester City both expressing their interest in signing the Shakhtar Donetsk winger, but Arsenal appears to be leading the way to sign the young Ukrainian, according to The Mirror.
The report continues that despite the Ukrainian outfit’s original asking price of around £90 million, a bid of around £40 million with add-ons would have to be considered by the club given their dire financial situation following Russia’s invasion.
Arsenal have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and are currently sitting top of the Premier League after winning 12 of their 14 games. Mikel Arteta would ideally like to add depth in the January transfer window to continue their title bid, and it appears the Spaniard will get his wish, with the Gunners pushing to fill one of the positions in need.
The Gunners were linked with a move for Mudryk in the latter stages of the summer transfer window after Nicolas Pepe’s loan exit left Mikel Arteta light on options in wide areas. There was also an interest in Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers after they failed in their Raphinha pursuit. However, the Gunners were unable to get a deal over the line for any target.
Mudryk could just be the answer Arteta is looking for. An intelligent winger with a tremendous turn of speed who looks fabulous and unstoppable with the ball at his feet, he is a dribble-heavy both-footed player who likes to cut inside and cause menace with his sheer pace, technical quality, and directness. The presence of Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal could also help the Gunners promote their case.
Newcastle United are also credited with an interest in Mudryk, as their Saudi owners look to continue investing in young, emerging stars of the future. Like Arsenal, the Magpies are also looking to add that extra bit of quality that would make all the difference in them finishing in top-four spots rather than lower-tier European competitions.
As for Manchester City, there are doubts hanging about the future star midfielder Bernardo Silva, who is being courted by Barcelona. While Mudryk will not be a like-for-like replacement, being left-footed, technical, direct, and flexible forward, he can offer a different dynamic to their style of play. Mudryk, like the addition of Julian Alvarez, could prove to be a prudent long-term investment.
