ARSENAL have had a £55million bid for Mykhailo Mudryk rejected by Shakhtar Donetsk, according to reports.
The Gunners are keen to strengthen their forward line in January.
Club chiefs have been particularly eager to bolster their wide options, having unsuccessfully tried to prise Pedro Neto from Wolves last summer.
The position remains a priority, with Mudryk now their No1 target.
Arsenal launched a £55m bid for the Ukrainian this week, only to be turned down.
According to the Telegraph, Shakhtar are demanding a fee of around £85m for their star man.
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Mudryk, 21, has made it clear that he would like to join the Gunners in January.
He admitted last month: “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.”
And he even posted a picture of his screen as he watched yesterday’s 3-1 victory over West Ham.
Asked about his side’s interest in Mudryk after the match, boss Mikel Arteta refused to be drawn.
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He replied: “We said that we will try to find ways to strengthen the team.
“We will find the right players and that is all I can say.”
Primarily a left winger, but also capable of playing on the right, Mudryk has made 44 first team appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 12 times.
Ten of his goals have come in 18 outings this season, in addition to an impressive eight assists.
His strikes have included Champions League efforts against Celtic and RB Leipzig.
He has also broken into his national team, so far earning eight caps for Ukraine.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
