Arsenal's attempts to land Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in the January transfer window may have been "blocked" by Premier League rivals Manchester United. It comes as the Gunners look to reinforce their squad in the market next month in an unlikely bid to win the title.
football.london understands that Arsenal tabled a first formal bid to the Ukrainian side for Mudryk on Boxing Day, with a deal worth up to £55million on the table. That has since been rejected by Shakhtar, with the side being notoriously tough negotiators in the transfer window.
It does appear to be a matter of time before a deal goes through for the 21-year-old, who has continually stoked the fire surrounding a move to the Emirates Stadium. The latest string in a whole series of hints was the fact that Mudryk posted himself on Instagram watching Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham.
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Manager Mikel Arteta was asked about the situation, but was tight-lipped as usual on any transfer activity, saying: "You know that I never speak about players who are not with us. I understand that you have to ask me the question... The good thing in England is that you don’t have many other matches in other countries at Christmas so hopefully a lot of people watched our game and we gave them a good show."
However, with the initial approach turned down by Shakhtar, it seems as though the Gunners will have to make another gambit at landing the youngster. They could even have rivals Manchester United to blame for the deal being "blocked" in the first place after new revelations.
That's because, according to Sky Sports, the club are using United's Antony as a benchmark for their negotiations, believing that Mudryk is better than the Brazilian. Therefore, they want a transfer fee that is representative of such value, with the winger moving to Old Trafford for £86million in the summer.
It remains to be seen whether that sticking point will stop a move going through in January, thwarting Arteta's plans to strengthen his squad.
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