Chelsea are reportedly ready to hijack Arsenal's pursuit of Ukraine international Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Arsenal were said to have agreed terms with the forward on New Year's Day, as they continue their pursuit of reinforcements to their front-line. However, they are some way short of Shakhtar Donetsk's asking price for their star man.
An initial bid from the Gunners, worth £55m, has been knocked back by the Ukrainian high-flyers. While talks are ongoing between the clubs, Chelsea could take advantage of the hesitation to land the in-demand 21-year-old.
According to The Sun, Chelsea are prepared to gazump Arsenal and give Shakhtar what they want. The Blues will reportedly offer an initial £60m, with up to £20m in add-ons.
Darijo Srna, the former Croatia international who now serves as Shakhtar's sporting director, is expected in London for talks this week. With the majority of the transfer window still ahead of us, it remains to be seen whether a bid from the Blues would spark Arsenal into further action.
The Gunners have been without Emile Smith Rowe for a number of weeks, with Gabriel Jesus also on the injury list after suffering a setback at the World Cup. Mikel Arteta's league leaders have been tipped to invest in January as they aim to remain in contention for the Premier League title.
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"Talks for Mudryk are on," Shakhtar CEO Serhiy Palkin said before the transfer window opened. "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."
Mudryk has 10 goals and eight assists across 24 matches for Shakhtar in the 2022-23 season, including three in the Champions League group stage. The youngster scored home and away against Celtic, but Igor Jovicevic's side only picked up enough points to finish third in their group and drop into the Europa League.
The 21-year-old isn't the only man on Chelsea's radar as they look to add to the early January arrival of Ivorian forward David Datro Fofana. Centre-back Benoit Badiashile is on the verge of signing from Monaco, while Enzo Fernandez could yet join from Benfica after impressing for Argentina at the World Cup.
Chelsea will look to kick-start their Premier League season on Thursday, when they take on Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. After starting slowly under Thomas Tuchel and briefly rebounding under Graham Potter, a recent dip has left them playing catch-up in the top four race.
