Fabrizio Romano: Player ‘really pushing’ to convince his club to join Arsenal, clubs in ‘direct’ talks to agree deal any moment from now
The Ukrainian forward is ‘really pushing’ to join Arsenal with the North Londoners in direct contact with Shakhtar Donetsk trying to thrash out a deal, as per the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Following Gabriel Jessus’ injury, the Gunners have seemingly prioritised strengthening their attack this winter, with Mudryk being the priority target.
Mikel Arteta’s side have opened talks to sign the 21-year-old this month and Shakhtar already rejected two official proposals in recent weeks, with the second bid being around £62m, including bonuses.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano has said that Arsenal are confident in brokering a deal for Mudryk this January and they remain in ‘direct’ contact with Shakhtar to find a solution.
The journalist also said that the player is keen on joining the Premier League leaders and he is ‘really pushing’ to make this deal happen.
However, Igor Jovicevic’s side are holding firm on their €100m (£88m) valuation, but the Gunners are reluctant to match that figure, which is delaying this deal from getting done.
Mudryk to Arsenal
Romano said:
“Shakhtar and Arsenal are in direct contact – they speak almost every single day. This is why Arsenal have always been confident and optimistic, but also because the player wants Arsenal as full priority. Mudryk is really pushing to go to Arsenal. He wants to go there.
“Between the clubs, the conversation is on a daily basis, they always speak. But Shakhtar, as they told Chelsea last week and Arsenal for a long time, they are still insisting on €100 million.
“What’s going on – Arsenal want to sign Mudryk – but not for €100m. At the moment, Arsenal have no intention to match the full €100 million package. This is why the negotiation is still ongoing.”
Meanwhile, speaking to GiveMeSport, Dharmesh Sheth has backed Romano and stated that Arsenal are in talks with Shakhtar and they are currently discussing the structure of this deal.
Sheth said:
“The information that I’m getting is that it’s coming down to the structure of the deal in terms of how much Arsenal would be willing to pay upfront in performance-related add-ons and incentives and how realistic and achievable, as far as Shakhtar are concerned, those conditions will be. So, I think talks are continuing.”
So, it will be interesting to see how much time this deal will consume before Arsenal can get it done. With the Emirates outfit seemingly looking to strengthen multiple positions this winter, they will be hoping to finalise this deal as soon as possible and switch their focus to add depth in the other areas.
