Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk's proposed move to Arsenal is edging closer, football.london understands.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with a move for Mudryk over the last few months and they are now closing in on a deal for the 22-year-old. Shakhtar have been adamant that they will only accept a fee worth in the region of £88 million for the talented attacker, an amount that Arsenal had been unwilling to offer.
However, it is now understood that a deal is getting closer to completion with talks now focusing on the structuring of the deal. With that being said, football.london has rounded up all the things that the player has said about Mikel Arteta's side and a potential move to the Emirates Stadium.
READ MORE: Mykhaylo Mudryk deal closer than ever as Arsenal take big step towards transfer
Social media activity
Mudryk has dropped his fair share of cryptic social media messages throughout the negotiation process and he posted a now-deleted Instagram story of the praying emoji after news of Arsenal's third bid broke on Thursday evening.
Mikel Arteta praise
Mudryk has regularly used Instagram throughout Arsenal's pursuit of him, regularly posting pictures of him watching the Gunners in action on TV, most recently Premier League games against both West Ham and Brighton.
The latter came with the caption "2 top coach", referring to Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, who managed him at Shakhtar, as well as current Arsenal head coach Arteta.
Premier League dream
Speaking in September in an interview with CBS Sports, Mudryk admitted that a move to the Premier League is a dream of his, citing Arsenal in particular as a potential destination.
When asked about the English top-flight, he said: "I do dream (of the Premier League). I think every guy dreams about the Premier League. Arsenal is a very good team with a very good coach. I like the way they play. Yes it would be hard to say no from my side, I can't say no but the transfer is not only my decision and my word."
Real Madrid claim
Mudryk also held an interview with the wide of Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, Vlanda Sedan, where they discussed the possibility of him arriving in north London.
Speaking during the interview on YouTube, the young winger said: "From a purely hypothetical perspective, if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal. But it’s a tough question and involves a lot of factors in my answer.
"I would first want to know from the head coach that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, that I’d receive a chance. Essentially I need to hear directly from the manager what he envisages my role in his side to be."
Watching Arsenal
Mudryk has also admitted that he regularly watches the Gunners before heaping praise on the north Londoners for their play-style. "I check on them [Arsenal] in 'myscore' and know when they're playing I can check on them", he said last year.
"I also watch them too. (Arsenal are) a very dynamic side, in general not just in controlling possession but also in scoring goals."
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