Chelsea beat Arsenal to sign Mykhailo Mudryk - Shakhtar's audacious €100m price tag met

Shakhtar Donetsk have completed their goal of receiving €100 million for their star winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Fabrizio Romano reported that Arsenal and Chelsea had meetings with Shakhtar in Warsaw to make offers for the 22-year-old winger. Chelsea, which have already spent €355m this winter, the most of any club in Europe, then concluded the talks as quickly as possible and subsequently announced the signing of the young foward on Sunday. "I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea," Mudryk said in a statement on the club website. "This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career."

Chelsea have beaten out Arsenal. The Gunners’ latest offer was €75m plus €25m in add-ons—Shakhtar turned down that bid. Chelsea’s interest was not new. The Athletic reported in early January that Chelsea were willing to outbid their local rivals for the most valuable player in the Ukrainian Premier Liga. According to The Athletic, Chelsea then made an offer of around €60-70m upfront with add-ons in the region of €30-40m. Which was then accepted, making the transfer a record sale for a Ukrainian top club. Beating the previous record held by Fred, who joined Manchester United in a deal worth €59m. 

Mudryk to Chelsea – Player was always vocal about wanting to join Arsenal

Mudryk has always been very vocal about wanting to join Arsenal, but opted for Chelsea instead. The national team player has been involved in 18 goals in 18 games across all competitions this season and, with a market value of €40m, was the most valuable player in Ukraine’s topflight—among all players developed in Ukraine, only superstar Andriy Shevchenko managed a higher market value. 

Although high, the fee offered by Chelsea was significantly above Mudryk’s market value. Mudryk, in fact, voiced his displeasure about Shakhtar’s €100m evaluation earlier this season. "When I found out about my price, I wasn't just surprised—I was shocked," said Mudryk in an interview with Sport Arena. "But I am 100% sure that they are unlikely to buy a player from the championship of Ukraine for €100 million.”

Turns out Mudryk underestimated the desire of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to not only beat out Arsenal to sign the player but also to break every single transfer record during his first year with the club. Now completed, Chelsea have spent in the region of €455m in a single season, more than any other club in history, and Mudryk will become the most expensive player signed this winter.