Mykhaylo Mudryk: Arsenal reach transfer breakthrough with one small hurdle left to overcome
Arsenal are seemingly on the brink of reaching an agreement to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk after reports claimed the Gunners are finally close to finalising the switch.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his wish to strengthen his title-chasing squad. Arsenal are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table but know they can afford no slip-ups. Indeed, with four of the last five Premier League crowns heading to the Etihad, Arteta knows his side can make few mistakes.
In order to boost their hopes, the Gunners boss is desperate to add to his side. His No 1 focus is to boost their attacking options in light of Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury. The Brazilian faces another couple of months on the sidelines after suffering the injury at the World Cup.
In his absence, Eddie Nketiah has performed exceptionally well. However, a lack of options beyond him – as well as cover and competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli concerns Arteta.
To that end, they have quickly honed in on the signing of Mudryk. The 22-year-old star looks an exceptional talent, having enjoyed 18 goal involvements in 18 games this season. Five from six have come in the Champions League to underline his star quality.
However, agreeing a deal with his club, Shakhtar Donetsk has been far from easy. The Ukrainian side have regularly pointed to the £85m fee Manchester United paid for Antony as a benchmark.
The Gunners, though, always believed he can be prised away for much less and have remain unfazed in the pursuit. Having seen an initial bid waved away, their second offer – believed to be worth £44.2m plus add-ons – was also waved away.
Arsenal finally close on Mudryk transfer agreement
The situation was then further complicated by interest from Chelsea, with Todd Boehly hatching a plan to hijack the deal. The Blues co-owner also recently held a meeting with and hosted Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna.
And with deeper pockets than Arsenal, their London rivals appeared well placed to pinch the transfer.
However, Mudryk has always made clear his wish to sign for Arsenal. And his public shows of appreciation for Arteta always pointed towards a move to Emirates Stadium first and foremost.
Indeed, TEAMtalk’s exclusive over the weekend revealed Arsenal’s confidence in still securing the deal. Furthermore, the way Chelsea had been used to potentially drive up the fee had not gone down well with the Gunners.
All the same, Arsenal remained undeterred and Fabrizio Romano on Monday outlined the confidence Arsenal had in sealing his signing.
Now, according to Ukrainian outlet Sport Arena, technical director Edu is finally closing on a transfer breakthrough.
They claim extensive talks between the two parties have finally seen an agreement over a fee. And while there are no details over the amount, it appears Shakhtar have backed down over their demands.
And reports suggest Arsenal have settled on a package worth around £58m in total for Mudryk.
One final transfer hurdle to overcome for Edu
Sport Arena, though, do claim there is just one obstacle left to clear for Arsenal to reach total agreement. And that remains around just how much of the fee is paid in bonuses.
The Gunners reportedly want 30% of the package made up in bonuses. Shakhtar, understandably, want more paid up front and are insisting on 20% made up in bonuses.
However, a final agreement should not be too hard for the two sides to settle on.
And the Gunners are reportedly hopeful of concluding negotiations before the week is out. All being well, they could even have Mudryk signed and sealed ahead of their crucial north London derby at Tottenham on Sunday.
And while Mudryk looks highly unlikely to feature, he may well be in the stands to witness his new teammates in action.
One that deal is over the line, Arteta is hoping Arsenal can still seal one more deal this month. And the Gunners boss is hoping he can get his hands on a new midfielder as he seeks cover for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.
However, one man who appears to be slipping from their grasp is Palmeiras midfielder Danilo. Both Nottingham Forest and Leeds are reportedly keen on the Brazilian and are seemingly nearer his signing than Arsenal.
