Chelsea have agreed an £87million deal to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk after swooping in under Arsenal's nose to hijack the Gunners' move for the winger.
Mudryk has been Mikel Arteta's top target for much of the January transfer window, with the Gunners having at least one bid rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk. But Chelsea's interest has grown with their season on life support amid a miserable run of results.
The Blues have turned to the transfer market in a bid to boost Graham Potter's squad, signing Joao Felix in midweek. Now, they have moved to hijack Arsenal's move for Mudryk, who is all but certain to leave Shakhtar this month.
According to a number of sources, Chelsea have agreed to pay a fixed fee of £62million, plus a further £35m in add-ons, to sign Mudryk. Personal terms have also been agreed between the players' representatives and the struggling Blues, with Mudryk ready to sign a seven-year deal.
Mudryk, who had made clear his desire to join Arsenal with his social media activity over the last month, had been made aware of Chelsea's interest in recent days. Chelsea's new director of global talent and transfers, Ben Winstanley, travelled to hold face-to-face talks with Shakhtar chiefs and duly made an offer the Ukrainians' felt that they couldn't refuse; Winstanley was previously head of recruitment at Brighton before joining the Blues in November.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Would Mykhaylo Mudryk be a good signing for Chelsea? Comment below.
While Arsenal are understood to have submitted a bid in the region of £55m plus add-ons, Shakhtar have publicly insisted that Mudryk's price tag is closer to £88m. That is a figure they have hit with Chelsea's bid. Potter is keen to see the 22-year-old arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Now the question is whether Arsenal will match their London rivals to land their No.1 January target. The Gunners will need to move quickly to rescue a deal.
If Mudryk does arrive in west rather than north London, he will be Chelsea's fifth signing of the winter window. However, their strategy this month has been slammed by former Premier League winner Chris Sutton.
"Chelsea is in complete disarray," Sutton told BBC Sport after the defeat to Fulham on Thursday. "They are in a mess, and anyone who’s out there and available at this moment in time, they are trying to buy to improve the team. Since Potter has come in, the team hasn’t progressed.
"There’s an argument they’ve regressed under him. There are Chelsea fans out there who have run out of patience with Potter. He needs to get the team playing well and picking up points quickly."
