Chelsea have been told that Mykhailo Mudryk is 'a copy of Kylian Mbappe' ahead of the winger's potential move to Stamford Bridge. The 22-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal at the start of month but the Blues have swooped in and hijacked the deal.
Talks between the Gunners and Shakhtar Donetsk were thought to have been progressing well, with Mikel Arteta's side tabling an opening bid in the region of £55million in late December, football.london understands. Since then, Arsenal have remained in contact with the Ukrainian side and, as recently as Friday, there was confidence that they were going to win Mudryk's signature.
But then, on Saturday, Chelsea submitted a bid of their own which is thought to be around £88million, including add-ons; Shakhtar's long-standing asking price. It's believed that the Gunners are not willing to be dragged into a bidding war and are unlikely to match their London rival's offer with a deal now near completion.
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Chelsea have released a statement on the matter confirming that the club are in discussions with the Ukrainian side for the transfer of Mudryk, who has now been compared to Mbappe. Speaking to Emanuel Rosu, the former Shakhtar and now-Dynamo Kyiv boss has defended the youngster amid questions over the fee paid by the Blues.
Mircea Lucescu insisted that the Ukrainian's 'qualities can not be questioned. He said: "Mudryk is a copy of Mbappe, it will be great to see him play at a higher stage than he is right now. His qualities and perspectives can't be questioned."
Mudryk has been showered with great praise in recent months amid his meteoric rise to superstardom. And, Jamie Carragher even tipped the youngster to lead Arsenal to the Premier League title!
"They’re after Mykhaylo Mudryk, when I’ve seen him play in the Champions League, he’s been left wing and Gabriel Martinelli is there right now, he’s been outstanding," he told Sky Sports. "Maybe one of them will go through the middle?
"If they want to compete with Manchester City – and they are doing that right now but I’m talking about in all competitions and for the next few years like Liverpool have done – you need options from the bench.
"Mikel Arteta knows that better than anyone from his time at Manchester City. I think Mudryk would be a really exciting signing from what we’ve seen in the Champions League."
Maybe the wonderkid can give Potter the cutting edge his side has so desperately craved in recent weeks.
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