Arsenal learn Mudryk cost as Shakhtar chief reveals huge rival for January transfer
Arsenal will have to fight off a number of rivals to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, including one particularly hefty club, and pay a massive transfer fee.
Mudryk has captured the attention of many a top European club this season with his stunning displays for Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
Arsenal were rumoured to have made a £30m bid for Mudryk at the end of the summer which was turned down by the Ukrainian side, and will now have to pay nearly three times that amount, according to a Shakhtar director.
They will also now have far more competition for the 21-year-old’s signature from clubs in Italy, Spain, France and England, with Carlo Nicolini claiming Manchester City have joined Arsenal in “taking an interest in the player“.
“The headlights are on him, but I say that the Italians always come later,” Nicolini told Calciomercato. “Now it is easy to observe him, but it was possible to do it before. The Italians bring low proposals, we don’t even sit down to negotiate.
“There are many English candidates, there is the Spanish on duty, the French on duty, but now it takes the right amount to take him away. Together with [Kylian] Mbappe, [Rafael] Leao and Vinicius [Junior], Mudryk is the strongest player in that position.
“Oscillating between Arsenal and Manchester City? They are two teams that have taken an interest in the player. But there are also other clubs that can spend right away. Is €40m [£34.7m] enough to buy him? We do not speak to these figures.
“Not even for €50m [£43.3m], we don’t even call the president to communicate the offer. We value Mudryk more than Antony of Manchester United, who cost €100m [£86.7m]. We are not obliged to sell, we do not want to make phenomena.
“We don’t want to shoot figures that aren’t realistic. But in this team, he is the most decisive. If you want to take on certain players who make a difference in the top clubs, you also need the right money.”
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