Arsenal are closing in on signing Chelsea target Mykhaylo Mudryk in the coming days as talks with Shakhtar Donetsk progress.
According to Foot Mercato, Arsenal are close to securing priority target Mykhaylo Mudryk in the coming days. After a relative impasse with Shakhtar Donetsk over the €100 million valuation, talks have resumed and accelerated for the Chelsea target.
The mention of Mykhaylo Mudryk as a Chelsea target may bother Arsenal fans, as they eagerly wait for their club to sign the winger. The saga for the 22-year-old has dragged on for several weeks, especially since Chelsea came in as a contender.
Arsenal have seen at least two bids get rejected for the winger, with the first one lodged around Christmar. The second came after Shakhtar Donetsk deemed the initial offer insufficient, as the Gunners proposed improved terms.
Shakhtar have publicly demanded a fee close to €100 million for Mudryk, citing deals for Antony and Jack Grealish as references. However, Arsenal were never inclined to pay that much for a player who only has around 50 games of top-flight action, including internationals.
Chelsea were reportedly willing to outbid Arsenal in the race. But the Gunners had the trump card of the player’s preference in the whole saga. Mudryk has more than once indicated his choice to join Arsenal through interviews in the past and a few recent Instagram posts.
Hence, Arsenal remained confident of agreeing terms with Shakhtar at some stage. In addition, Chelsea agreeing a loan deal for Joao Felix, Mudryk is free to join the Gunners. And reports of Arsenal accelerating talks emerged sooner than later.
Chelsea may have found their attacking reinforcement in Felix, which paved the way for Arsenal to make their ground stronger. The report claims the fee could be close to the €100 million asking price. But the base fee could be much lower.
For now, the two clubs remain locked in discussions about the bonuses, as Shakhtar reportedly want a large chunk of the fee upfront. Arsenal will continue negotiating to structure the deal at their convenience. Eventually, the move could materialise in the coming days.
The Gunners defeated Oxford United in the FA Cup third round and started Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in the game. It showed the lack of depth in wide areas, something Mikel Arteta would like to address with the Mudryk signing.
