Mykhailo Mudryk: Chelsea agree €100m deal to hijack Arsenal bid

Chelsea have agreed a €100m fee with Shakhtar Donetsk for the winger Mykhailo Mudryk, in a dramatic hijacking of Arsenal’s bid.

The 22-year-old’s first preference is Mikel Arteta’s side, but his camp are naturally willing to listen to any offers and would go to Stamford Bridge if the deal is right.

The Independent first reported that Chelsea were willing to blow Arsenal “out of the water” in the first week of January, due to their clear interest in the player.

Chelsea followed that up by making it clear to Shakhtar they will pay more up front than their London rivals, with more achievable bonuses. A straight up fee of €70m has been agreed, with a further €30m in add-ons.

The Donetsk club - stationed in Poland as the war in their country continues - refused to lower their price for Mudryk due to the feeling they lost millions on potential sales with Fifa’s ruling that foreign players could leave the Ukrainian league for free due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Arsenal did not meet Shakhtar’s asking price and the Premier League leaders made it clear that they would not get into a bidding war with Chelsea.

However, The Independent has been told of an aggravation at the club - which reflects a feeling within the Premier League - that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy “are getting involved in everything”.

The situation will leave the decision down to Mudryk himself.

While he has made his willingness to go to Arsenal clear, especially with pointed social media posts, the forward will sit down with Chelsea over the coming days.