“Arsenal have the green light” – Fabrizio Romano drops exciting transfer update from Emirates
Arsenal have been given the ‘green light’ by Mykhaylo Mudryk to ramp up their interest as the Shakhtar Donetsk star ‘would be happy’ to seal a switch to the Emirates Stadium, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has told GiveMeSport.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta could look to bolster his table-topping squad when the winter window opens for business at the turn of the year.
Arsenal transfer news – Mykhaylo Mudryk
According to The Athletic, Mudryk has been identified as Arsenal’s priority target and there is optimism that a deal could be concluded during the early stages of 2023.
The report suggests Shakhtar have slapped an £88million price tag on their talisman, but the Ukraine international’s suitors are confident that a lower fee would be deemed acceptable.
CBS reporter Ben Jacobs recently told GiveMeSport that Arsenal could strike a deal for £53million, while the Gunners may add achievable add-ons and a sell-on clause in an attempt to convince Shakhtar to sell Mudryk.
The winger has previously admitted that he ‘couldn’t say no’ if a winter switch to north London proved to be a possibility, boosting Arteta’s hopes of getting his man, but Shakhtar have insisted their president will decide Mudryk’s future once formal offers are tabled.
Arsenal are facing plenty of competition for Mudryk’s services as Manchester City, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, Brentford, Everton and Bayer Leverkusen are also known to be admirers.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about Mudryk?
Romano understands that Mudryk is keen to join Arsenal during the January transfer window and wants a fresh challenge in the English top flight.
However, the respected Italian journalist is aware that the Premier League leaders still need to reach an agreement with Shakhtar.
Romano told GiveMeSport: “Arsenal have the green light on the player’s side because Mudryk would be happy to join Arsenal.
“He would be really happy to try this Premier League experience, so now it’s on the clubs. Let’s see how the negotiation will go.”
Should Arsenal prioritise signing Mudryk in January?
Ahead of the Premier League’s resumption, Arsenal have been hit with a major blow as Gabriel Jesus was forced to undergo surgery after suffering a knee injury during the World Cup.
Although Mudryk is not an out-and-out striker, Transfermarkt statistics show that he has already scored 10 goals and chalked up a further eight assists in 18 Shakhtar appearances this season.
The Ukrainian clearly has a cutting edge in the final third of the pitch and his arrival would allow Gabriel Martinelli to feature at the point of Arsenal’s attack while he fills in on the left flank during Jesus’ absence.
According to FBref, he has averaged more goals and assists per 90 minutes than Martinelli and fellow wide-man Bukayo Saka this season, which further emphasises that he is a danger going forward.
Mudryk got his name on the scoresheet every 173 minutes during the Champions League group stage, while he also boasted a pass accuracy of 81 per cent per outing, so Arteta and sporting director Edu should not hesitate in attempting to reach an agreement with Shakhtar.
