Mykhailo Mudryk has been pictured in a Chelsea shirt ahead of an official announcement by the club. The 22-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal at the start of month but the Blues swooped in and hijacked the deal.
Talks between the Gunners and Shakhtar Donetsk were thought to have been progressing well, with Mikel Arteta's side tabling an opening bid in the region of £55million in late December, football.london understands. Arsenal remained in contact with the Ukrainian side and, as recently as Friday, there was confidence that they were going to win the race for Mudryk's signature.
But then, on Saturday, Chelsea submitted a bid of their own which is thought to be around £88million, including add-ons; Shakhtar's long-standing asking price. Before a move had been officially confirmed by the Blues, Mudryk was pictured and unveiled in the stands at Stamford Bridge for the clash against Crystal Palace.
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And, in a photoshoot ahead of the tie, he was donning a Chelsea shirt, as pictured below.
Speaking to the official club website, Mudryk expressed his delight at joining Chelsea, noting the exciting project led by Graham Potter. He said: "I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea.
"This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career. I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff."
Mudryk has been showered with great praise in recent months amid his meteoric rise to superstardom. So much so that Jamie Carragher had even tipped the youngster to lead Arsenal to the Premier League title!
"They’re after Mykhaylo Mudryk, when I’ve seen him play in the Champions League, he’s been left wing and Gabriel Martinelli is there right now, he’s been outstanding," he told Sky Sports. "Maybe one of them will go through the middle?
"If they want to compete with Manchester City – and they are doing that right now but I’m talking about in all competitions and for the next few years like Liverpool have done – you need options from the bench.
"Mikel Arteta knows that better than anyone from his time at Manchester City. I think Mudryk would be a really exciting signing from what we’ve seen in the Champions League."
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