"Arsenal’s interest is there, I can’t deny it" - Sporting director confirms Gunners are in race to sign 21-year-old attacker in January

Deputy sporting director of Shakhtar Donetsk, Carlo Nicolini, has confirmed that Arsenal are interested in attacker Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The Gunners have been linked with Mudryk for quite some time now. David Ornstein of The Athletic reported that signing the 21-year-old is the London giants' priority in the upcoming January transfer window. Ornstein added that the player is open to moving to the Emirates.

Nicolini has now further established Arsenal's interest in signing Mudryk. He recently told TVPlay that Shakhtar expect all their players, including the forward, to report for training by January 9. However, he also acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Mudryk's future and said (as quoted by Metro):

‘‘Mudryk has received the message, like all the other players, to show up for the training camp in Antalya on January 9. Arsenal’s interest is there, I can’t deny it. However, today, he is called up for the first training camp, which runs from January 9 to February 9, then in Warsaw we will prepare for the next European games.’’

Nicolini added that multiple other clubs had also expressed their interest in one of the most talented youngsters in Europe right now. However, he believes Italian clubs may be at a disadvantage with respect to signing Mudryk, saying:

‘‘Many clubs have taken an indirect interest in Mudryk, without an official offer. There have been a lot of phone calls. ‘I believe that today the Italian teams find it difficult to take a profile like this, both for what it is worth and for the lack of courage in investing in such a profile.’’

It's worth noting that the attacker's current deal with Shakhtar runs till 2026, giving the club plenty of leverage in deciding his price tag. They reportedly want €100 million for the player, but Ornstein reported that the deal could be done for a lower fee.

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Rumoured Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk has been on fire for Shakhtar Donetsk this season

Mykhaylo Mudryk joined Shakhtar Donetsk from Ukrainian side Desna Chernigiv in January 2021. He made just three appearances till the end of the 2020-21 season before receiving a more prominent role in the next campaign.

In his first full season at the club, Mudryk played 19 games across competitions, scoring twice and laying out nine assists. The Ukrainian then exploded at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, recording ten goals and eight assists in 18 games before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Arsenal-linked attacker has managed three goals and two assists in this season's UEFA Champions League. Mudryk's underlying stats in the competition were superb as well. He averaged 0.8 key passes and 1.7 successful dribbles per game while maintaining a decent shot-to-goal conversion rate of 33%.

With Arsenal losing Gabriel Jesus to injury for at least a month, Mudryk could prove to be a sound addition for the second half of the season. Additionally, at just 21 years of age, he could be a shrewd purchase for the future as well.