Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Darijo Srna was spotted in Chelsea owner Todd Boehly's box at Stamford Bridge, further fuelling suggestions the Blues could win the race for Shakhtar winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Mudryk has been courted by Arsenal, with the Gunners seeing two bids knocked back for the Ukrainian international. However, with Mikel Arteta's side falling short of Shakhtar's hefty asking price, Chelsea have joined the chase.
Srna was spotted in London having dinner with former Arsenal and Shakhtar duo Eduardo and Willian during the week, before heading to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. The Croatian, who played with Eduardo and Willian in Ukraine before hanging up his boots watched on as Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City to fall further adrift of the Premier League's top four.
As revealed by Mirror Football on Wednesday, Arsenal tabled an improved second bid for Mudryk after seeing an initial offer knocked back by Shakhtar. The Ukrainian club have consistently made comparisons between their star man and Manchester United forward Antony, suggesting a similar transfer fee of £80m or more would be necessary to seal a deal.
Arsenal's failure to agree terms may have opened the door for Chelsea, though. The Sun reports that Srna was in Boehly's private box for Thursday's game, and while it is no guarantee of a move being imminent, it may have left some Gunners fans concerned, though others have been reassured by the Blues' under-par performance.
"If Mudryk is watching this game his mind will be made up to not join Chelsea," one fan wrote on Twitter. "This Man City win makes it clear that Chelsea won't be in the Champions League. Mudryk wants to play in the Champions League," was the verdict from another.
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Mudryk's return of 11 goals in 19 outings this season has kept top clubs on red alert. The 22-year-old has made no secret of his admiration for Arsenal, though, and it remains to be seen whether he would join a Chelsea side losing ground on the teams above them.
After a goalless first half at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea went behind to a goal from Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez and were unable to find a response. The Blues also lost Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to injury during the first half in a further blow to under-pressure manager Graham Potter.
The result leaves Potter's side down in 10th place in the Premier League after winning just one of their last eight league games, and they have still yet to beat any team currently sitting in the top half of the table. They sit 10 points behind third-placed Newcastle and fourth-placed Manchester United, with a game in hand on the former.
