The Athletic’s David Ornstein has said on NBC Sports that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are optimistic about signing Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window despite interest from Graham Potter’s Chelsea.
The well-known and well-respected journalist has said although Chelsea have joined the race for the 22-year-old winger, London and Premier League rival Arsenal believe that they will eventually be able to bring Mudryk to the Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window.
Ornstein has added that Ukrainian giants Shakhtar are looking for €100 million (£88 million) in transfer fees for the youngster.
The Sun have also reported that Arsenal and Chelsea are competing with each other for the services of the 22-year-old.
Ornstein said, as transcribed by TBR: “Arsenal’s interest remains strong. I think they’re staying calm. They’ll continue the conversations and there is optimism within The Emirates that with patience, they will get this done, given that the player has said he’d like to join them.
“His priority though is the Premier League, and perhaps that’s where Chelsea get a taste for this. As I understand it, Chelsea are monitoring the situation. They’re interested in all top young players, if the price is right and that’s the problem here with Shakhtar. They are not budging on that €100m valuation.”
Should Arsenal pay £88 million for Chelsea target Mykhailo Mudryk?
In our opinion, Arsenal should not pay £88 million for Mykhailo Mudryk even if Chelsea are competing with them for the Shakhtar Donetsk winger.
Yes, the winger has impressed in the UEFA Champions League, but you cannot judge a player based on a few good matches.
True, Mudryk has been superb in the Ukrainian Premier League club, but no club should pay £88 million for a player who has not played a single season outside Ukraine.
We believe that Arsenal would make a big mistake if they decided to pay £88 million for the Mudryk.
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