Arsenal get green light to sign explosive £52m attacker who has one demand for Arteta

An Arsenal target likely to cost upwards of £50m has admitted he closely follows the Gunners, and revealed the one demand he’ll make of Mikel Arteta before joining.

Despite topping the table by five points heading into the World Cup break – two of their players make the top 10 stars in the Premier League so far this season – Arsenal are not content to rest on their laurels.

Two departments of their squad were left unaddressed last summer and both could be rectified in January.

A central midfielder and a ready-made winger to compete with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are on the agenda.

Regarding the former, Arsenal continue to be heavily linked with Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.

The Belgian is out of contract next summer and will likely be available for a cut-price fee mid-season. Liverpool have emerged as a contender to snatch a move, though it’s Arsenal who continue to draw the strongest links.

Regarding the forwards, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk remains in focus.

The Ukraine international, 21, rose to prominence this season through a series of impressive displays in the Champions League.

The right-footed Mudryk – who operates primarily on the left, though can be deployed anywhere across a forward line – has five goal contributions in six UCL matches this year.

Mudryk has flirted with Arsenal before

He raised eyebrows back in September when admitting he’d struggle to turn down Arsenal if they made an offer.

Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed he’s a firm target of the Gunners, and claimed they remain in contact over a potential winter window switch.

Mudryk was valued around the £25m mark over the summer, though given his European exploits, that figure has now increased.

Romano reported Shakhtar want “way more” than the rumoured €50m-€55m valuation doing the rounds. The Metro put his new price tag at £52m.

That outlet also claims Mudryk has been given a steer towards the Emirates by fellow countryman and Arsenal left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko.

What’s more, Mudryk has conducted an interview with Ukraine TV star and Zinchenko’s wife, Vlada Sedan.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, Mudryk delivered an update that makes incredible reading for Arsenal fans.

Interview puts ball in Arteta’s court

Firstly, the lively winger admitted he follows Arsenal closely and is a fan of their style of play.

“Yeah, I check on them on MyScore and know when they’re playing I can check on them,” said Mudryk.

“I also watch them too. They are a very dynamic side, in general not just in controlling possession but also in scoring goals.”

The obvious question Mudryk may have if he were to join Arsenal is how much will he play?

While he’s a regular starter with Shakhtar and Ukraine, displacing Martinelli or Saka on Arsenal’s flanks won’t be easy.

On that subject, Mudryk stressed his decision on who to join next will likely come down to a conversation with a suitor’s manager. The topic of discussion will regard game-time and whether he’ll still be afforded chances if not a regular starter.

“From a purely hypothetical perspective if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal,” he continued.

“But it’s a tough question and involves a lot of factors in my answer.

“I would first want to know from the head coach that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, that I’d receive a chance.

“Essentially I need to hear directly from the manager what he envisages my role in his side to be.”

More positive comments; three interested clubs named

If a club the size of Real Madrid were to show interest, one might expect Mudryk to be on a plane to Spain.

However, he indicated his decision on who to join will involve far more than just club prestige.

“The team’s style of play will play a role,” he added. “It’s very important to me.”

Given Mudryk has already commended Arteta’s style of play, that comment in particular bodes well for the Gunners.

Finally, Mudryk broke his silence on three clubs who registered interest last summer.

He concluded: “I spoke with two or three head coaches either directly or via a translator, they were Nice, Bayer Leverkusen and Brentford.

“When it didn’t work out I was a bit upset but as we can see now God’s plan is better than my dreams.”

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