Arsenal could save millions by using Cody Gakpo's £37million transfer to Liverpool to their advantage. Negotiations over a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk talent Mykhaylo Mudryk are set to continue into January after an initial bid of £55million including add-ons was rejected, football.london understands.
Both parties are thought to be confident of finding a successful outcome, with the Ukrainian winger pushing for a move to the Emirates Stadium. Mudryk posted a photo of him watching the Gunners' 3-1 win over West Ham on social media and has already admitted he would find it hard to 'say no' to Arsenal if they came in for him.
Sporting director Edu Gaspar is hoping to secure a deal for the 21-year-old as he aims to reinforce Mikel Arteta's attacking options after Gabriel Jesus' recent knee injury. The Brazilian striker is set to be absent until February, with Gakpo having previously been considered an option for the north Londoners in the summer before he eventually sealed a move to Anfield.
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Shakhtar Donetsk vice director Carlo Nicolini has explained why Arsenal's £55million bid including add-ons for Mudryk was rejected by using Jack Grealish's £100million move to Manchester City as a key example. Nicolini told Italian news outlet Calciomercato: "€60million (£53m) it's not enough to sign Mudryk.
"Our director said that we need a bid closer to the Jack Grealish fee (£100m) than Antony (£86m) to sell Mudryk. We're not even considering a bid with €40million (£35m) as fixed fee."
Gakpo is arguably a more proven player than Mudryk and has already tallied more goal contributions this season than the Ukraine international. In fact, the Dutch winger has more goal involvements than City star Erling Haaland which shows how good he is, especially after enjoying a strong World Cup campaign with the Netherlands in which he netted three times.
Gakpo's transfer to Liverpool could end up costing the Merseyside outfit a total of £45million after an initial fee of £37million including £8million in add-ons was accepted by PSV in a club record deal for the Eredivisie side. Mudryk has just 18 months of Ukrainian league football under his belt and, despite impressing with 10 goals and eight assists, the step up to the Premier League may prove to be too big of a jump compared to Gakpo moving from the Dutch top-flight to England.
Arsenal's opening bid for the 21-year-old was already £10million more than the total cost Liverpool could pay for the Dutch star. Arsenal suspect that Shakhtar chief Dario Srna is trying to start a bidding war for a player the club are resigned to selling in January given his desire to seal a move to the Premier League.
Everton, Roma and Brentford all tried to sign Mudryk last summer, but will not go beyond £30million, and there have been no other offers to even rival the Gunners’ opening bid. Arsenal are now hoping to reach a compromise agreement with Shakhtar and break the deadlock by offering a guaranteed £45million — plus as much as £15million in add-ons, as per The Sun.
As Liverpool secure a bargain deal for one of Europe's most talented youngsters, the Gunners will hope Shakhtar lower their valuation of Mudryk and come to an agreeable compromise.
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