Chelsea are interested in signing Mykaylo Mudryk and could hijack Arsenal’s move for the Shakhtar Donetsk forward next month, according to The Guardian
The Blues have entered the race to sign the Shakhtar Donetsk star, who is currently being valued at a whopping £85 million by the player’s employers. While Arsenal have already seen one bid for the winger rejected, Chelsea are yet to formalize their interest in the form of an offer.
Interest in Mudryk from the blue half of London would not have been warmly received by the Gunners hierarchy. Who had made the 21-year-old a top transfer target heading into the winter transfer window.
The Ukrainian international had already caught the eyes of many European clubs, even before his Champions League exploits in the current campaign, where he registered an impressive three goals and two assists.
After Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for several months due to the injury he suffered during the World Cup, the need to add an additional body in attack looked obvious for Arsenal.
Mudryk’s signing would definitely give the Gunners another edge heading into the second half of the campaign. In which they are being genuinely considered title contenders.
While Arsenal have lost Jesus, Chelsea have lost Armando Broja. Despite recently signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, and agreeing on a deal to land RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku in the summer, new owner Todd Boehly is more than happy to dig deep into his pocket for another attacker.
And there are few young players in the market who are as exciting as Mudryk. His electrifying pace and dribbling skills have certainly sent waves across the European continent.
Mudryk almost joined Premier League side Brentford last summer after his employers rejected a verbal offer of £30 million from Everton. Those at the club would be praising themselves for not letting their prized asset leave before his market price peaked.
Now it is over to the big guns in Europe to show how badly they really want the so-called “Ukrainian Neymar”. Arsenal will want to get the negotiations wrapped-up swiftly before Chelsea formalise their interest and hijack their move.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this story develops over the coming days….
