CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Mykhaylo Mudryk is open to joining Arsenal and has been left impressed by Mikel Arteta’s style of play.
The Gunners were originally linked with the flashy winger at the end of the summer transfer window after it emerged that they had missed out on a deal for the 21-year-old.
He then fuelled speculation when he revealed that he wouldn’t be able to say ‘no’ to a move to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Mudryk’s stock has since risen, with Shakhtar Donetsk now said to be valuing the ‘Ukrainian Messi’ at around £85m.
That said, Jacobs believes Arsenal could yet be able to bring in the youngster for a considerably lower figure of £56m – and that there certainly seems to be a willingness on the player’s side.
Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “From Mudryk’s point of view, he wants Arsenal, it’s as simple as that.
“He said that many times, including directly to me in an interview that I did about two months ago, he said he can’t say no to Arsenal.
“He’s spoken directly with Zinchenko, his countryman; he’s very impressed by Mikel Arteta and the style that the team play.”
TIF Thoughts on Jacobs’ comments…
Would you want Arsenal to break the bank for Mykhailo Mudryk?
Yes
No
Considering the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain are all also interested in the eight-cap Ukraine international, this should well be a deal that Edu looks at doing in January as opposed to the summer.
Having been directly involved in 17 goals in as many appearances for Shakhtar this term, we believe Mudryk would be a superb addition out wide for Arteta.
However, it will be interesting to see if the Gunners are willing to back their manager with such a hefty price tag touted. We think it would go a long way to show just how serious the club are about a title race in the second half of the campaign if they were to complete a deal.