CHELSEA have agreed a deal worth nearly £100million to sign Ukraine star Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Blues have blown Arsenal out of the water by agreeing a mega-fee with Shakhtar Donetsk.
It is understood Chelsea will pay £62m up front, with up to £35m in performance-related add-ons, taking the potential total to an eye-watering £97m.
Mudryk, 22, has agreed a seven-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge – despite previously hinting that he wanted to join Arsenal.
The Gunners agreed personal terms with the winger but pulled out of negotiations when Shakhtar started driving the price higher amid interest from Chelsea.
Blues officials, including director of global talent and transfers Ben Winstanley, are reported to have travelled to Turkey, where Shakhtar are holding a training camp, to thrash out a deal.
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The arrival of Mudryk will take Chelsea’s spending so far in January to well over £100m.
Defender Benoit Badiashile arrived from Monaco for £35m, while David Datro Fofana came from Molde for about £10m.
The Blues have splashed another £10m on a loan fee for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix, who was sent off on his debut against Fulham in midweek.
The new Chelsea regime’s latest splurge on players follows the record-breaking £273m they spent last summer.
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Mudryk is one of the hottest properties in world football after his impressive form for Shakhtar, particularly in the Champions League where he scored three goals and made two assists in six games.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter is said to have personally driven the deal as he seeks to arrest a slump that has left the team in mid-table and facing a real battle to qualify for the Champions League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
