Arsenal were 'in love' with Mudryk - Shakhtar reveal ‘simple’ truth why they missed out

Robin Bairner

• 23 Feb 2023 15:08 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal were left frustrated during the January transfer window when they saw their move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk fail.

Mikel Arteta’s side had been widely expected to win the race for the Ukraine international, so it came as something of a shock when Chelsea came up on the rails to beat them to the highly rated talent.

MORE: Mudryk given scathing assessment by Arsenal legend after Chelsea transfer

Indeed, the player had even made clear via his social media that his preference was to move to the Gunners.

Now Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna has revealed to truth as to why Arsenal saw Mudryk slip away from them to join their fierce rivals.

MORE: Arsenal vs Chelsea for Pedro Neto? The state of play

Arsenal were 'in love' with Mudryk

Speaking to Football Ramble, the former Croatia international defender explained: “Regarding the transfer proposal, the price was €100 million (£88m), €70m plus €30m.

“Arsenal were in love with Mudryk, but Chelsea were more concrete and were more ready to buy him.

“With respect to Arsenal, in the end it was the decision of Mudryk because Chelsea paid what we wanted and we made an agreement with Chelsea he said he wants to go to Chelsea, it’s simple.”

Although it was painful to see the Blues beat them to their top January transfer target, Arsenal had a firm figure in mind that they were not going to go above in the Mudryk bidding.

The early signs are that the Emirates club called the deal correctly as the big-money signing has struggled to find his best form since moving to Stamford Bridge, although Srna is insistent that he will become one of the best players in the Premier League. Nevertheless, Mudryk is waiting for both his first goal and his first assist in the blue of his new team.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were also reportedly beaten to Raphinha during the January transfer window but did bolstered their offensive ranks by signing Leandro Trossard from Brighton for €24 million.