Free-spending Chelsea could be set to swoop in at the last minute for highly-rated 21-year-old Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk as Todd Boehly continues to act in a temporary sporting director capacity at Stamford Bridge.
Attention may have turned toward the young Shakhtar Donetsk star due to the developing situation in the wake of Arsenal’s official approach as the Gunners view Mudryk as a necessary piece of January business for Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Gunners.
Arsenal had a first bid rejected for the talented left-sided player, but an improved second bid has yet to be rebuffed and earlier reports suggest that Shakhtar is seriously considering coming to terms with the north London giants on an agreement, with Mudryk and Arsenal already on the same page regarding personal terms.
EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea hijack Arsenal’s move for Mykhaylo Mudryk | @JackRosser_ https://t.co/5HMa3UfojW
— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) January 3, 2023
But that still may not stop the Blues from trying to hijack the deal in the eleventh hour, despite their impending move for SL Benfica’s World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernández, which is set to cost the club over £100m.
According to The Sun’s Jack Rosser, Shakhtar sporting director and former defender Dario Srna is slated to meet with Chelsea this week regarding the Mudryk situation, even though the club academy product views Arsenal as his destination of choice at the time of writing.
Boehly remains committed to spending whatever it takes to arrest Chelsea’s current position in the Premier League table and the club’s shift to focusing on more young talent with long-term potential means interest in Mudryk is likely genuine, but the Blues may be unable to afford the Ukrainian international this window while possibly negotiating a deal that would mean he would arrive in the summer unless the club offload in January to supplement its spending power.
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