Mykhailo Mudryk, a longtime target of Arsenal, has been acquired by Chelsea in a spectacular transaction said to be valued over £88 million from Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 22-year-old has signed a contract with Stamford Bridge for eight and a half years and wasted no time in expressing his happiness at finally getting a Premier League move.
Mudryk stated on the team’s website: “I’m thrilled to join Chelsea. At this point in my career, this is a really alluring challenge for me because it is a huge club in an amazing league.
“I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”
The Gunners have been after the Ukrainian superstar for a number of months, and it was believed that everything had been worked out between the two sides except for the final transfer fee.
The Blues took advantage of the opportunity yesterday by sending co-owner Behdad Eghbali and director of global transfers Paul Winstanley to Turkey, where Shakhtar are presently training. Negotiations had reached a standstill.
Because Chelsea was willing to pay the full asking price, negotiations moved quickly, and Mudryk took the club’s private jet back to West London to do his physical last night.
Mikel Arteta will feel the pain of the transaction because a lot of time and effort was put into attempting to convince Mudryk to move to the Emirates.
The player had even been teasing a move to North London on his social media channels, liking posts from Arsenal fan accounts using the hashtag #FreeMudryk and posting videos of himself watching Arsenal matches.
Mudryk had also described Arteta as a “top coach” but will now hope to help under-fire Potter turn a disastrous season around at Stamford Bridge.
Mykhailo Mudryk has finalised his move from Shakhtar Donetsk after agreeing personal terms with the Blues. 🤝
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 15, 2023
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and the club’s co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said in a joint-statement: “We are delighted to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea.
“He’s a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come.
“He will add further depth to our attack and we know he’ll get a very warm welcome to London.”
The Blues took the unusual move of announcing the signing midway through the first half of their Premier League home game with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.