Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham gives blunt response when asked about Mykhaylo Mudryk

Arsenal's chief executive Vinai Venkatsham gave a blunt response when asked about the club's pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk. The Gunners chief stressed that the club will continue to back Mikel Arteta in the winter transfer window but refused to comment on the Mudryk links.

Arsenal are enjoying a dream run in the Premier League this season as they currently sit atop the table with 44 points after 17 games. There have been calls for the Londoners to bolster their squad with a couple of winter additions if they wish to win the title.

Venkatsham has revealed that the club is keeping an eye on the market.

"We’ve got a very clear plan, headed up by Edu, in terms of what we want to do to strengthen the squad. Every transfer window of course, we’re going to look to see what opportunities are out there.

"If something makes sense from a technical perspective and a financial perspective, of course we’ll look at it but we’re happy with the squad that we’ve got. We’ll have a look around like we do in every transfer window but we’ve got a long-term plan," he told Sky Sports.

The Gunners chief was further pressed on whether Arsenal are getting closer to securing the transfer of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, to which he replied:

"You know the answer I’m going to give you. We’re not going to talk about specific players."

Mykhaylo Mudryk is being monitored by the Gunners and a host of other clubs across Europe following his impressive performances this season. The 22-year-old has made 18 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk across all competitions so far this term, recording 10 goals and eight assists.

Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director warns that Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk will cost more than €100 million

Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk won't come for cheap.

During an interview with Calciomercato, Shakhtar's director Carlo Nicolini warned potential suitors that they would need to pay more than the €100 million Manchester United paid for Antony to sign Mudryk.

"Is €40m enough to buy him? We do not speak to these figures. Not even for €50m, we don’t even call the president to communicate the offer. We value Mudryk more than Antony of Manchester United, who cost €100m.

"We are not obliged to sell, we do not want to make phenomena. We don’t want to shoot figures that aren’t realistic. But in this team, he is the most decisive. If you want to take on certain players who make a difference in the top clubs, you also need the right money," he claimed.