Arsenal are understood to have now submitted a formal bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk, the Shakhtar Donetsk winger
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Mudryk is Mikel Arteta’s top target for the January transfer window, with the Arsenal manager desperate to add to his forward options in the coming weeks.
The Ukrainian international, who is seen as one of the most exciting young forwards in the European game, would provide competition for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal’s offer is thought to be worth up to around £55 million, including add-ons, and it remains to be seen whether Shakhtar deem it to be acceptable.
Arteta made it clear that he wants reinforcements to be signed this month as Arsenal look to continue to defend the Premier League title.
He is an international team-mate of Arsenal’s Olesksandr Zinchenko and was recently interviewed by Vlada Sedan, Zinchenko’s wife.
“I was surprised by how many Arsenal fans wrote to me,” he told her. “Fans from no other club wrote to me like this. There were so many fans who wrote to me that they were waiting for me to move to Arsenal. It feels nice and it is a bit encouraging.”
In a separate interview with CBS earlier this season, Mudryk added: “Arsenal is a very good team with a very good coach. I like the way they play. From my side I can’t say no, but a transfer is not only my decision.”
Earlier this week, Arteta said: “We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is the same we want to do in January. This is idealistic. Sometimes it is not realistic. But obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in to get settled.”
