Chelsea are set to hijack Arsenal’s pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk after agreeing a €100m deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for the winger, sources have told ESPN.
The bid comprises a fixed fee of €70 million with a further €30 million in add-ons, matching the Ukrainian club’s valuation for the transfer of the 22-year-old.
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ESPN reported on Friday that Arsenal have made a third offer for Mudryk, but that Chelsea are still expected to make an offer of their own despite signing Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
Sources told ESPN that Chelsea offered Mudryk a better wage package and a longer deal than what Arsenal had said. Sources also said that the bonuses of 30 million euros are easy to achieve.
In a statement on Saturday, Chelsea confirmed that they are “discussing terms with Shakhtar Donetsk for the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk.”
“If a deal is agreed between the two clubs, the Ukrainian international, who can work as a winger or a striker, will discuss personal terms with the Blues before a permanent transfer,” the statement concluded.
Arsenal have made most of the run in trying to sign Mudryk, who has hinted in several social media posts that he is open to a move to the Emirates Stadium.
However, a source with close knowledge of the deal told ESPN that Arsenal are still trying to negotiate the structure of payments and the various performance-related achievements that would constitute the additions.
In the meantime, Chelsea have moved quickly. A club delegation including Behdad Eghbali, representing co-owners Clearlake Capital, and director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanley flew to Turkey for face-to-face talks with Shakhtar representatives.
Talks are progressing rapidly and Chelsea are now confident of agreeing personal terms with the player.
Sources told ESPN that Arsenal always felt the player preferred to join them, but Chelsea are at an advanced stage in negotiations with Mudryk’s representatives over a long-term contract.
On Saturday, Shakhtar released a brief statement confirming that a deal was close.
The statement read: “FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea FC today. Parties are very close to agreeing on the player’s transfer to the club.”
Information from ESPN’s Julien Laurens contributed to this report.
