Chelsea reach agreement with club over €100 million transfer of 22-year-old forward: Reports
Chelsea have reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk to sign Mykhailo Mudryk, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Their bid of €100 million has been accepted by the Ukrainian club. Arsenal's bid remains at €95 million plus add-ons, which falls below Shakhtar's valuation of the player.
Mudryk's desire is to join Arsenal, for whom he has been a long-term transfer target. Chelsea's recent entry into the transfer race has sparked a bidding war between the two teams, which the Blues, for now, have won.
However, they are yet to reach a personal agreement with the player. It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old winger will agree to join Arsenal's arch-rivals.
#CFC
Exclusive: Chelsea have reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for Mudryk. €100m fee agreed between parties today after mission. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Chelsea now pushing on player side — as Mudryk priority has always been Arsenal.
#AFC bid remains €95m add ons included. https://t.co/PoIddYaARC
Chelsea have already made four signings this winter. David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, and Joao Felix (on loan) have all arrived in west London.
It seems the signing of the quartet is not enough to whet owner Todd Boehly's appetite in January. Felix's loan spell got off to the worst possible start after he was sent off for a reckless tackle in his team's 2-1 loss against Fulham on January 13.
They also have Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as players who can play down the flanks. However, Ziyech and Pulisic are not trusted by manager Graham Potter and Mount is largely deployed in midfield.
The former has 430 minutes of club football this term across competitions, while the USA international has started just eight games during that time.
Aubameyang, meanwhile, has played down the middle in attack. But he has recently fallen out of favor at Chelsea, starting just one of their last seven league games. Hence, they could use Mudryk's services instantly up front.
Chelsea seem to have edged Arsenal in two key areas with Mudryk bid
A report by the Athletic mentions that Shakhtar Donetsk values the quality of add-ons offered and the planned speed of the payments by the potential suitor.
🚨 Chelsea have reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for Mykhailo Mudryk. €70m + €30m add-ons. 7+ year contract agreed. Leaving Turkey for London to undergo medical. Not signed yet but done deal. W/ @SJohnsonSport @AdamCrafton_ @TheAthleticFC #CFC theathletic.com/4090699/2023/0…
This, of course, would be supplemented by the belief that Chelsea have bid more than Arsenal on the whole, including add-ons. The former have supposedly offered €70 million upfront with €30 million in add-ons.
It has also been mentioned that Mudryk could be open to joining the west London outfit. If so, the deal would take the Blues' reported spending this season to €455 million including Felix's loan fee with add-ons (h/t Transfermarkt).
Mudryk, who is a youth product of the Shakhtar academy, has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 18 club games across competitions this term.