Premier League leaders Arsenal have made an improved offer for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, understood to be worth up to £62million, Daily Mail reports.
Talks are continuing with the Ukrainian giants eager to get more of a guaranteed fee up front for the 21-year-old after initially rejecting Arsenal’s opening offer of £35m plus £17m in add-ons.
Arsenal remain in talks over a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix also but the Spanish side’s £13.25m loan demand is more than twice what Manchester United are willing to pay for the Portugal forward.
It’s understood that Felix also wants around £5.3m in wages over the remainder of the season, pushing the overall cost of the deal close to the £20m mark.
Arsenal and Chelsea would also need those figures to come down before proceeding further.
The Blues had also shown interest in Mudryk, as part of their focus on young players. Mudryk turns 22 on Thursday, the same day Chelsea host a Premier League clash with Manchester City.
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However, Arsenal remain the strong favourites to get the winger, with Mikel Arteta’s side keen to get more attacking options to aid their title push.
On New Year’s Eve, Mudryk posted to Instagram that he was watching ‘2 great coaches’ – Arteta, and his former Shakhtar Donetsk boss Roberto Ze Derbi, who is now managing Brighton.
It has been viewed as another hint towards Mudryk’s possible move to north London.
Meanwhile, Arsenal face Newcastle United in a battle between first and third at the Emirates Stadium in the capital on Tuesday night.
