Chelsea reach €100m agreement for Mudryk – Fabrizio Romano

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 14 Jan 2023 18:44 GMT
• 5 min read

Chelsea are on the verge of completing a sensational €100 million move for Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Mykhailo Mudryk, with multiple reliable sources reporting that a deal has been agreed between the two clubs.

Mudryk was thought to be closing in on a move to Arsenal, with Shakhtar teasing a potential deal earlier on Saturday.

The Blues, though, are in the process of making a dramatic 11th-hour move for the Ukraine international star.

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Fabrizio Romano first broke the news that Chelsea were talking the Ukrainian side on Saturday, with the Blues having the intention of beating Arsenal to the player by launching a €100m offer superior to the Gunners’ third bid, which is thought to be smaller and offer less guaranteed money up front.

Barely an hour later, the Italian journalist reported that a deal had been agreed between the two clubs, with Arsenal having failed to agree terms with Shakhtar, despite an agreement in principle in place with the player.

This information has been echoed by leading experts in the transfer market. David Ornstein reports that Chelsea have offered €60-70m up front, with €30-40m potentially following in bonuses. Ben Jacobs has confirmed the deal is worth €70m with €30m in bonuses.

All are also agreed that Mudryk is travelling to London to hold contract talks over the weekend, with Chelsea ready to offer the player a seven-and-a-half-year contract that would tie him to the club until 2030.

Shakhtar, meanwhile, confirmed a deal is near, stating on Twitter: "FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed Mykhailo Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea FC today. Parties are very close to agree on player’s transfer to the club."

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Mudryk only wants Arsenal

Arsenal have been leading the race for Mudryk for months, having come close to signing the player in the summer.

Led by technical director Edu, the Gunners have launched three bids for the player, with the latest thought to be worth around €80m. This offer was expected to be the one that would trigger the transfer.

Chelsea, though, have been watching the Mudryk saga develop from the wings and have become increasingly interested in the player.

FootballTransfers revealed that Arsenal have been cool over the prospect of their London rivals also bidding for Mudryk because they have a definite plan for the player. If Chelsea bid what the Emirates side believed to be above their valuation of the 22-year-old, they would simply pull out of negotiations. This threatens to be that point.

Mudryk, meanwhile, has made it entirely clear that he only wants to move to the red half of London. He has repeatedly expressed his desire to move to Arsenal on social media, even liking a post on Instagram that stated that he only wants to move to Gunners.

He has previously shown a willingness to go public with Shakhtar over their transfer policy, too. He claimed that the €100m price tag that they put on his head in the autumn was "wounding" his prospects of leaving the club.

Arsenal, therefore, remain in the race to sign Mudryk, but Chelsea's big-money offer and willingness to offer a long and likely lucrative contract is set to put the player's resolve to the test.