Arsenal’s summer transfer window of incomings slowed down after losing out on Raphinha to Barcelona. The Gunners seemed to have the edge on signing the Brazilian until Chelsea attempted to hijack a potential deal, but the winger ultimately decided to join Barcelona. If the Gunners had offered an extra amount of money, then they would have put themselves in a stronger stance to seal an early deal.
The same situation must not be repeated with Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. The winger has had a phenomenal start to the season by scoring two goals and also assisting on one occasion in the opening two matches of the Champions League group stage, with his team sitting second in their group behind Real Madrid.
It is due to his successful exploits that his club has raised his price tag by £13million, following interest from other clubs. If Arsenal want to enhance the wide areas, then Edu must be willing to meet this new demand.
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Ukrainian news outlet football24tv initially reported that Arsenal held talks with Mudryk’s agents and were interested in signing the player in the summer. The report went on to say that Shakhtar Donetsk are asking for €35million (£30million).
However, since the wingers impressive performances this season, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that Shakhtar are now looking for €50million (£43millon) to secure the services of Mudryk.
This comes after it emerged that Liverpool are interested in signing Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk via Calciomercato. This is a deal that makes sense as Jurgen Klopp’s attacking trio have looked stale since the departure of Mane in the summer, with £85m signing Darwin Nunez struggling to make an impact in the early weeks of the season.
Amid such interest in Mudryk, it appears as though the youngster is very open to a move to Arsenal, who seemingly need more depth in their wide areas. Speaking to CBS Sports, he said: "I think every guy dreams about the Premier League. It's hard to say [who his preferred move is] but Arsenal is a very good team, very good coach, I like the way they play."
When asked if he would make a move to the Emirates Stadium he said: "From my side, I can't say no [to Arsenal]. But the transfer is not only my decision."
However, the winger's intentions could change with Liverpool registering interest ahead of the January transfer window, as they are already playing in the Champions League season. The reality of this happening for Arsenal will be ahead of the next season.
If Arsenal do consider Mudryk as the number one target to enhance the wide areas in the next transfer window then it is crucial that Edu does not ponder over the price tag for the Ukrainian and instead pay what is necessary to secure his signature. The Gunners have lost out on many targets in the past by not being decisive, and Edu must be clear with his intentions this time around.
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