Arsenal are having further transfer talks after making an improved offer for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Gunners saw an initial £55m offer turned down as the transfer window started but are keen to negotiate a price as they look to strengthen Mikel Arteta 's title push in January. Mudryk is determined to come to England and has made it clear he wants to join Arsenal who are now trying to make a breakthrough with Shakhtar with extra add-ons and an increased deal on the table.
Arsenal were already keen on signing the 21-year-old Ukrainian before Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury during the World Cup which is expected to rule the Brazilian striker out until the spring. Arteta is now even more determined to bolster his forward line, having gone into 2023 seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
While a host of other European clubs are would like to secure Mudryk's signature, the Gunners remain in pole position and the player himself dropped a hint of his desire to make the move on New Year's Eve by labelling Arteta a 'top coach'. Alongside the Instagram post in question, Shakhtar have confirmed that negotiations are ongoing.
"Talks for Mudryk are on," chief executive Sergei Palkin admitted last Thursday. "We receive offers but not the ones we would like to see on our table. I'll speak again to Arsenal. So, yes, we are open to discussing fees and ideas.
"If we will agree, then let it be so. If we will not, then let it be another time. Now, literally in five minutes, I will have a new phone call conversation with Arsenal for the Mykhaylo Mudryk deal."
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Arteta, on the other hand, has been coy on the situation, not wanting to disrespect the fact that Mudryk still belongs to the Ukrainian club. "I cannot talk about players that are not ours," the Arsenal manager declared after watching his side beat Brighton 4-2 on Friday to end 2022 in style.
Arteta is, however, happy to make it known that the Gunners are indeed on the lookout for January deals. "We knew the importance of getting players early in the summer and that is the same we want to do in January," the Spaniard explained over Christmas. "This is idealistic. Sometimes it is not realistic.
"But obviously, if you ask my opinion, as quick as possible we want the players in to get settled. In this league with the competition, where the bar is and what the standards have been for the last four or five years — something the Premier League has not experienced in the past — we know that every point is going to be massively important."
