Chelsea prepare €100 million bid to hijack move to sign player approached by Premier League rivals: Reports

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are hoping to hijack the deal to sign Arsenal target Mykhailo Mudryk. The journalist reported that the Blues hierarchy were currently in Poland, in discussions with Shaktar Donetsk to close a €100 million deal.

This will certainly be a painful situation for the Gunners, who seemed to be on the verge of completing the deal to bring the winger to the Emirates.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea board now in Poland trying to reach verbal agreement with Shakhtar for Mudryk and hijack the deal! Official bid ready close to €100m. 🔵 #CFC

Arsenal always been leading the race, in talks with Shakhtar after 3d official bid.

Mudryk position, now crucial. https://t.co/CwWWerfoQ8

According to another report by Romano, the north London outfit submitted their third bid for the Ukrainian winger earlier this week. They seemed set to take Chelsea out of the equation.

Shakhtar Donetsk are adamant that the complete package should be around €95-€100 million, which the Gunners are hoping to match via add-on.

Discussions between the clubs were said to have been going well. Arsenal were reportedly optimistic that the player would join them before the end of January.

Romano's latest update, however, puts the Gunners on the back burner, with their west London counterparts hoping to hijack the deal and snatch Mudryk. The Blues are also ready to make a bid of around €100 million.

Chelsea are attempting to hijack Arsenal's move for Shakhtar's Mykhailo Mudryk with a bid of around $100M, per @FabrizioRomano https://t.co/VngyxpxD7y

It is not surprising that both Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing Mudryk. He is a highly sought-after player known for his versatility, strong work ethic, and technical abilities. As a key player for Shakhtar Donetsk, he has had a successful season with 10 goals in 18 games. Impressively, eight of those goals have come in his last 10 appearances in all competitions.

Chelsea to give manager Graham Potter more time to achieve success

The Blues are set to give manager Graham Potter more time to reach expectations, following a difficult run of form at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks.

The club's hierarchy are reportedly taking a cue from Arsenal, who stuck with Mikel Arteta for two difficult seasons. The Gunners are now reaping those rewards as they sit atop the Premier League table at a relative distance from other clubs.

Notably, according to The Athletic, many fans wanted Arteta out of the club, but the board were willing to stick by him.

It is expected that Chelsea hierarchy will take the same route and keep hold of Potter as the club undergoes a tumultuous stage. They are currently 10th in the league table and have just one win in nine games across competitions.