After months of hints at wanting a transfer to Arsenal, Mykhailo Mudryk has finally signed for a Premier League team but it will not be at Emirates Stadium for the Gunners. Instead he will be playing for London rivals Chelsea after a late transfer hijack from the Blues was plotted and executed swiftly in the week where football.london reported Arsenal were the closest they had ever been to signing Mudryk.
Shakhtar's public valuation of €100million (£88million) looked unlikely to be met by either of the two clubs with a keen interest in signing Mudryk in January. However, Chelsea made the decision to offer a package deal matching that total value - a £62million fee with an additional £26million in add-ons - after co-owner Behdad Eghbali and director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanley arrived at Shakhtar's training camp in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday in order to seal the transfer.
Such was the speed of Chelsea's negotiations for Mudryk, the 22-year-old had agreed personal terms and passed a medical over the weekend, before being presented to supporters at Stamford Bridge at half time of the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
