Arsenal Transfers: Winger target seems keen on Gunners move

Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is a big fan of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and would seemingly be keen on joining the club in 2023. 

Mudryk has burst onto the scene in recent months as he impressed during Shakhtar’s Champions League group stage campaign. The winger, who displayed his lightning-quick speed and decisiveness in transition, notched five goal contributions in six European games as the Ukrainian outfit dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in Group F.

Interest from Arsenal in the exciting young wide man surfaced in the summer, but the club opted against making a move as other teams circled. Mudryk, however, remained at Shakhtar and the race for his signature is poised to be a very competitive one next year.

Winger target seems keen on Arsenal move

The Gunners, however, may well fancy their chances of signing the highly-coveted 21-year-old. Mudryk is expected to leave Shakhtar in January and the current Premier League leaders are a side that the winger has his eye on.

Speaking to Oleksandr Zinchenko’s wife and Ukrainian journalist Vlada Sedan (via Fabrizio Romano), Mudryk said: “From a purely hypothetical perspective if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal.

“But it’s a tough question and involves a lot of factors in my answer. I would first want to know from the head coach that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, that I’d receive a chance.

“Essentially I need to hear directly from the manager what he envisages my role in his side to be. ‘The team’s style of play will play a role. It’s very important to me,” the player added.

Mudryk has already opened the door to a future move to north London, and he appears to be a big fan of Arteta’s side.

“I follow Arsenal closely, they’re a very dynamic side,” he said. “One surprise for me was how many Arsenal fans followed me. No other club’s fans have interacted as much as them”.

The likes of Everton, Brentford, and Bayer Leverkusen explored the prospect of signing Mudryk in the summer but to no avail. The 21-year-old is now poised to have a string of major European clubs on his tail in January and Arsenal are set to be one of the interested parties.