FINALLY: After Sabotaging Arsenal’s pursuit of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Chelsea is set to announce signing
On Saturday, Arsenal were confident of an imminent deal to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk, with reports suggesting the Gunners would pay an upfront fee of over £50m (€56m) rising to as much as £80m (€90m) with add-ons.
David Ornstein reported that this was as high as Arsenal would go, and it was up to Shakhtar Donetsk whether or not to agree to those terms.
Then Chelsea entered the fray, with multiple board members flying to Turkey to agree a deal. Before long, they had an agreement with Shakhtar for an upfront fee of €70m, rising to €100m with add-ons.
In addition, Chelsea were willing to offer a seven-year contract to the player, more than Arsenal’s five, and more than double the wages Arsenal were offering.
Ben Jacobs reports that Mudryk nonetheless held off, asking whether Arsenal would match Chelsea’s offer. But he was told the Gunners wouldn’t pay €100m.
Mudryk chose to join Chelsea over staying at Shakhtar, even if it meant missing out on his “dream move” to Arsenal.
Sam Dean reports that Arsenal were never going to be drawn into a bidding war with Chelsea. They had a valuation and they stuck to it, and they’re reportedly surprised at the size and nature of Chelsea’s bid.
Mudryk is now holding a medical at Chelsea, and he’s set to attend their match against Crystal Palace later on Sunday.
Though not officially confirmed just yet, the deal is effectively done, and Arsenal need to move on to other targets.
