ARSENAL have been told to pay £88.8million if they want to land Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian wonderkid has dazzled for Shakhtar Donetsk this season, attracting plenty of interest in the process.
Arsenal are keen to land a winger in January to aid their title push – with Mudryk near the top of their wishlist.
SunSport exclusively revealed last month that Gunners chiefs are willing to inject a further £50m into the transfer kitty to help Mikel Arteta bolster his squad mid-season.
But it will take much more than that to sign Mudryk.
Speaking to The Athletic, Shakhtar director of football Dario Srna said: “If somebody wants to buy Mudryk, they must pay huge, huge, huge money. Otherwise the president of the club (Rinat Akhmetov) will not sell him.
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“All the clubs must respect the President, respect Shakhtar and in the end they must respect Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is one of the best players I saw. The price is so big.”
In determining an £88.8m price tag – Srna pointed to the exorbitant fees splashed out on what he deems to be similar talents.
He added: “The market is deciding the price — not me.
“Antony, Grealish, they are players of more than €100m (£88.8m) and for me, Mudryk does not have less quality than them.
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“This is the last two transfers in the past year, in more or less the same positions. Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
“We want just respect. The market is deciding the price, not me, it shows which kind of players cost this kind of money.”
Mudryk, 21, received strong interest from Prem duo Everton and Brentford last summer.
His stock has only grown since – particularly given his performances in the Champions League.
Arsenal have entered the race for his signature – as well as the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking earlier this week, Mudryk hinted that his future could lie in North London.
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He said: “From a purely theoretical-fantasy 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 I’d first want to know from the head coach that I’d receive a chance.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
