Arsenal hold ‘very positive’ talks with Mykhaylo Mudryk

Arsenal have already held ‘very positive’ talks with Mykhaylo Mudryk but Shakhtar Donetsk will demand up to £65m for the talented winger this winter, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners were in the market for another winger in the summer transfer window as Mikel Arteta looked to bring in more support for Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on the flanks.

Mudryk has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent months and Romano says Arsenal have already held ‘very positive’ talks with the Ukrainian international over a potential move.

Arsenal decided not to push forward with a deal due to Shakhtar’s £45m asking price as they also need to bring in another central midfielder to compete with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the middle of the park.

Romano says the north Londoners will be busy in the next few weeks ahead of the January window and remain interested in Mudryk because the club see him as a ‘top talent’. However, Arsenal will now have to pay up to £65m for the winger following his excellent start to the season.

Positive talks

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said:

‘We know they [Arsenal] wanted a winger. Raphinha was the dream, but it was not possible to proceed,’

‘They have had very positive contacts on Mudryk on the player’s side, but then they decided not to proceed with Shakhtar because they wanted more than £40m to £45m.’

‘Now Shakhtar want more than £60m to £65m. But Arsenal are still following the player.

‘They consider Mudryk a top talent and so Arsenal are still there but let’s see because now the race is open with many top clubs, but Arsenal will be busy in the next few weeks.’

Mudryk would be an excellent addition to Arteta’s squad if Arsenal could get a deal agreed with Shakhtar. And it appears it wouldn’t be difficult to agree terms with the winger as he admitted over the summer that he would jump at the chance of joining the Gunners:

He’s quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:

‘I think every player dreams about the Premier League. It’s hard to say [which team he’d like to join] but Arsenal is a very good team, very good coach, I like the way they play.’

‘From my side, I can’t say no [to Arsenal]. But the transfer is not only my decision.’

Mudryk has scored seven goals in 14 appearances so far this season, including three in the Champions League where he starred for Shakhtar during group games against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Celtic.

The 21-year-old’s impressive form has seen his valuation increase significantly so Arsenal are going to have to be prepared to dig deep if they want to stand a chance of signing him this winter.