What are the chances of Arsenal or Man City signing €100m-rated Mudryk? Shakhtar chief discusses January deal for winger
- Ukraine international catching the eye
- Winger wanted by Premier League clubs
- He will not come cheap in winter window
WHAT HAPPENED? The 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger has become a top target for clubs across Europe, with interest from the Premier League being confirmed by his current employers. Those pursuing the Ukraine international believe he can be acquired for less than the €100 million (£86m/$106m) being bandied about, but they have also been told that they will need to dig a little deeper than they are at present in order to put a deal in place during the winter window.
WHAT THEY SAID: Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin has told The Athletic when asked if Mudryk, who has been heavily linked with Arsenal, is destined to take on a new challenge in the next few weeks: “To be honest, I do not know. At the moment, we are quite far from what we want and what clubs propose. It’s not so far but it is not what we need. We have discussions. One club, another club, they negotiate. We are in the process. Will it close this month? I don’t know. It is maybe 50-50 with regards to the winter transfer window. I don’t want to talk about figures now. We are in discussions. We have interest from some English clubs and we are in the process.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Palkin added when asked if Arsenal, City and Newcastle are among the clubs leading the race for a much sought-after signature: “Every day, I read about another English club. If you believe the newspapers, it is all of (the English clubs). But to be honest, it is true as I have had contact from many clubs. A lot of them are involved in this process.”
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WHAT NEXT? Mudryk has registered 10 goals and nine assists for Shakhtar this season, while he also has eight senior international caps for his country, and is expected to secure a big-money transfer in the not too distant future.