Chelsea Reach Agreement With Shakhtar For Arsenal Target Mudryk

Posted by Samson Kankan Featured, Latest Headlines, Sports News Sunday, January 15th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Struggling Chelsea football club have hijacked Arsenal’s bid Mykhailo Mudryk after agreeing a £88m deal for the Shakhtar winger.

Chelsea sent representatives, including director of global talent and transfers Ben Winstanley and a senior board member to Turkey this week to try and tie up a deal for the 22-year-old and have acted fast to steal a march on the Gunners, who have been in negotiations with the Ukrainian club since December.

It’s understood Chelsea will pay £62m up front, with a further £26.5m in add-ons. Personal terms have also been agreed on a seven-and-a-half contract.

Mudryk is understood to have preferred a move to Arsenal but the Gunners indicated to Shakhtar that they weren’t prepared to match Chelsea’s bid if it was higher than what they were initially prepared to pay, leaving Graham Potter’s side in pole position.

It comes just a few days after Chelsea confirmed that both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic are facing lengthy spells on the treatment table, joining the likes of N’Golo Kante, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell on the club’s remarkable injury list.

Joao Felix was brought in on loan earlier this week, but won’t feature again until mid-February after being sent off on his debut against Fulham.

Recall Chelsea had signed Benoit Badiashile and David in the January transfer window.

Fofana comes in from Norwegian outfit Molde on a six and half year deal with an option for an extra year whilst Badiashile moved from Monaco on a higher profile £35m deal on an even longer seven-and-a-half-year deal.