Newcastle United £86m target has good chance of joining Premier League rivals on reduced fee

The Ukrainian winger has attracted interest from the likes of Newcastle, Arsenal and Everton following his impressive performances in the Champions League and domestically. Mudryk has scored 11 goals in 19 appearances so far this season including three in the Champions League group stage.

And with the January transfer window fast approaching, Mudryk’s future at Shakhtar is becoming increasingly uncertain. According to The Athletic, there is increasing confidence that Arsenal will land the 21-year-old this January for a fee lower than Shakhtar’s huge £86million valuation.

In the summer, clubs were put off Shakhtar’s £30million valuation for the player after he scored two goals in 19 appearances in all competitions last season. But his eye-catching form this season has seen the Ukrainian side almost triple their valuation.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s £86m valuation for Mykhaylo Mudryk explained by director of football

Shakhtar Director of Football Darijo Srna pointed to the recent transfers of Jack Grealish to Manchester City and Antony and Jadon Sancho to Manchester United as justifications for the valuation.

“If somebody wants to buy Mudryk, they must pay huge, huge, huge money,” Srna told the Athletic. "Otherwise the president of the club [Rinat Akhmetov] will not sell him.

"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.

"Antony, Grealish, they are players of more than €100m and for me, Mudryk does not have less quality than them.

"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 has previously ‘flirted’ with Arsenal over a potential transfer

While Mudryk fits the bill as the type of player Newcastle are looking to sign given his age and potential, the club are expected to be more conservative with their spending this January compared to the previous two transfer windows. As such, they may price themselves out of a move for Mudryk unless Shakhtar were to drop their asking price considerably.

And Mudryk has spoken openly about a potential move to the Premier League’s current leaders, Arsenal. The Gunners already have a Ukrainian connection with Oleksandr Zinchenko

Mudryk previously said: “I follow Arsenal closely, they’re a very dynamic side. One surprise for me was how many Arsenal fans followed me. No other club’s fans have interacted as much as them. They always tell me: ‘come to us!’

“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.”

With the January transfer window set to open in under three weeks, Newcastle already have one signing lined-up with Garang Kuol joining from Central Coast Mariners after representing Australia in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.