Mikel Arteta reportedly wants to bring £30m Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko to the Premier League with the Gunners making a bid.
Arsenal have made a £26.5 million loan-to-buy offer for Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko, according to Zbirna, though The Gunners’ initial bid appears to have fallen some way short of the Ukrainian’s price-tag.
The North London giants might have improved substantially since Mikel Arteta replaced Unai Emery at the helm, even if performances are yet to translate into results.
But if anyone thought that the Spaniard was capable of waving a magic wand over an error-prone backline, a calamitous series of mistakes in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea offered a stark reminder that there is still work to be done.
After a horrific Shkodran Mustafi back pass was easily intercepted by Tammy Abraham, David Luiz was left with little choice but to barge the Blues hitman into the ground and accept his punishment – namely, a penalty and a red card.
With Sokratis Papastathopoulos proving equally erratic and Rob Holding enduring another injury-hit campaign, a new centre-half or two would certainly be welcomed on the Emirates terraces.
And, according to reports, Matviyenko has emerged as the number one target. A commanding 23-year-old who has enjoyed a remarkable rise over the last 12 months, Arteta watched Matviyenko at first hand twice during Manchester City’s Champions League clashes against Shakhtar in the autumn.
Sky report that the Ukraine international is valued at £30 million. Arsenal, however, have offered £4.5 million to loan him until the end of the season with an obligation to make the deal permanent for a further £22 million.
This comes after Matviyenko’s agent, Yuri Danchenko, confirmed to Football24 that Arsenal had made contact with Shakhtar about a deal to bring the Crimea-born youngster to England.
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