Arsenal have reportedly opened talks to sign Shakhtar Donetsk superstar Mykhaylo Mudryk, with the north London side hopeful of lowering the winger’s asking price down to £85m.
According to the Evening Standard, discussions have now begun between Arsenal and the Ukrainian giants over the 21-year-old attacker, with Mikel Arteta keen to sign Mudryk ahead of the January transfer window as the Gunners look to add more depth in the wide areas.
Mudryk has been one of the breakout talents in the UEFA Champions League this season, and the Shakhtar superstar has long been linked with Arsenal, with the north London club now taking steps in the right direction to bring the youngster to the Premier League.
As per the report, Arsenal are hopeful of lowing Shakhtar’s asking price for Mudryk to at least £85m, a fee that would still be a club record for the Gunners, shattering the £72m Unai Emery paid to bring Nicola Pepe to the English capital back in 2019.
With Mudryk recently being quoted to be worth as much as £100m, lowering the fee to £85m would be quite an impressive feat from Arsenal, though the asking price is still way above what the 21-year-old attacker is actually worth.
Indeed, the winger is expected to be a squad player at best for Arsenal with Gabriel Martinelli currently the Gunners’ main left-sided attacker. And whilst the Ukrainian would be an exciting signing for the club, £85m still seems like a lofty transfer fee for a player who isn’t guaranteed to be a starter.
Arteta’s business with Arsenal in the transfer market has largely been good, with the Basque manager working well alongside Edu Gaspar to clear out the deadwood and to bring in young players who have greatly improved the squad. However, Mudryk will easily be the young coach’s riskiest move yet.
After all, it is likely that Mudryk will sign for Arsenal for a club-record fee in January, and given that the Gunners already have an outstanding left-winger in the squad already in Martinelli, spending so much on a potential squad player could be a very risky move from Arteta, who might have a greater plan up his sleeve.
