Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhailo Mudryk ‘prefers move to Arsenal over Chelsea’
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Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhailo Mudryk ‘prefers to join Arsenal over London rivals Chelsea’… but Blues remain ‘hopeful’ of signing £85m winger after talks ‘positive’ with the Ukrainian club.
- Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk
- Mudryk would reportedly prefer to join Arsenal if he has to make a decision.
- Chelsea still feel they could sign him after ‘positive’ discussions with Shakhtar
- Shakhtar expects £85m before letting Mudryk leave the club
Mykhailo Mudryk would reportedly pick Arsenal over Chelsea if it came to a straight decision between the two London rivals.
Arsenal have been chasing Mudryk since the start of the transfer window, but his initial offer of £52m was rejected and he was unable to reach a deal with Shakhtar despite increasing his offer to £62m, with Shakhtar holding out. about £85 million.
Chelsea are now looking to hijack the move and are trying to lure Mudryk to Stamford Bridge instead.
Arsenal and Chelsea want to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk would reportedly rather join Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal than Chelsea
The Blues are ‘hopeful’ that he will join them after having ‘positive’ talks with Shakhtar, but Mudryk would prefer to go to Arsenal, according to The Guardian.
Mudryk has hinted at his preference to join Arsenal in recent days, posting on Instagram showing himself watching the Gunners beat West Ham on Boxing Day.
He also tuned in for their upcoming match against Brighton and labeled Mikel Arteta and Roberto De Zerbi, his former boss at Shakhtar, ‘number 2 manager’.
Chelsea are still hopeful of signing Mudryk after positive talks with Shakhtar
The 22-year-old liked a meme on social media showing him behind bars along with the caption #FreeMudryk, while hinting that his patience is running out to walk away from Shakhtar.
Arsenal aim to bring in a striker this month after losing Gabriel Jesus to injury.
However, they still need to add to their squad, while they wait to see how things work out with Mudryk.
Chelsea have been busy in the first week of the transfer window, signing Benoit Badiashile from Monaco, along with Ivorian striker David Datro Fofana and Brazilian teenager Andrey Santos.