Arsenal are in serious danger of losing Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea amid claims Todd Boehely is formulating a cunning plan to steal his signing.
The 21-year-old Shakhtar star finds himself one of the most in-demand players in Europe after a sparkling season so far. Indeed, Mudryk has been involved in 18 goals in as many games this season, with five involvements coming from six Champions League games.
Understandably, that sort of form has alerted a string of top clubs – with Arsenal right at the forefront. To that end, Mikel Arteta’s side have long had Mudryk in their sights and saw a summer offer fall short.
And the Gunners are very much back on his trail again having an opening January gambit rejected by Shakhtar. Their opening offer is reportedly pitched at £35.3m (€40m) with a further £17.7m (€20m) in add-ons. However, the Ukrainian side are not in the mood to sell below their own valuation and have made it clear they value the star at far nearer the £88.5m (€100m) mark.
Still, Arsenal refuse to be too downhearted and reports of a second bid this week have emerged. Furthermore, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has made clear the sort of numbers Arsenal will need to get the deal over the line.
And while Mudryk himself is reportedly determined to sign for the Gunners, the prospect of Chelsea stealing the transfer refuses to go away.
Indeed, their co-owner Todd Boehly was tipped over the weekend to do all in his power to wreck Arsenal’s plan.
And now it seems Boehly is preparing to put his money where his mouth his, and jump in with a bid far in excess of the Gunners’ offer.
Chelsea ready to launch huge Mykhaylo Mudryk offer
And according to The Sun, talks between Boehly and Shakhtar have already begun. Furthermore, they claim Donetsk director Darijo Srna is ‘is set to travel to London for talks this week’ with Chelsea.
In addition, Chelsea are reportedly preparing to go close to meeting Shakhtar’s asking price, with an offer of £60m up front and a further £20m in add-ons.
That may well be enough to steal the deal ahead of Arsenal. Understandably, Shakhtar are clearly aiming to achieve the best price possible.
In Arsenal’s favour, however, is that the player very much favours a move to Emirates Stadium.
However, in backing up The Sun‘s article, Ben Jacobs has confirmed how Boehly plans to hijack the deal.
And pointing to their summer actions with Raphinha, the trusted reporter has revealed a similar plan of action with Mudryk.
‘Mykhaylo Mudryk wants Arsenal and there’s optimism an agreement will be reached for well under Shakhtar’s €100m public valuation,’ he tweeted. ‘#AFC’s second bid, for just under €70m, still being assessed. There is likely to be verbal back-and-forth to finesse it. Shakhtar want more up front.
‘Although the Chelsea interest in Mudryk is genuine, #CFC know the deal remains in Arsenal’s control. But Shakhtar welcome any dialogue since it may help drive up the price, especially if (and it is an if) Chelsea do what they did with Raphinha and make a healthy offer.
‘Arsenal have never wanted to pay more than €70-75m. Shakhtar are looking for around €55m upfront. #CFC have other priorities, but as is normal in a fast window like January, are keeping across the situation in case an opportunity presents itself.’
Chelsea get serious with transfers once again this month
The Blues have already made moves in January, sealing the signing of Molde striker David Datro Fofana.
Next on the horizon is a deal for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, which could well cost in excess of £106m. The Argentine midfielder’s recent actions, however, have upset the Portuguese club, who look set to fine the star.
And if they get that deal over the line, they cannot be ruled out the equation for Mudryk.
Having spent around £280m in the summer window, the captures of Mudryk and Fernandez could well see their January spending soar towards £200m.
As a result, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville have once again criticised their transfer policy.
Commenting on the imminent deal for Fernanez, which will shatter the British transfer record, Neville did not mince his words.
“Are Chelsea paying €127m for Enzo Fernandez? That’s one hell of a price. A very good player but bloody hell!”
Source: teamtalk
