Shakhtar's sporting director Dario Srna has confirmed that Mykhailo Mudryk had his heart set on a move to Arsenal before ultimately joining Chelsea in 2023. According to Srna, the Ukrainian winger had a conversation with Mikel Arteta and seemed to prefer the prospect of playing for the Gunners.
However, the deciding factor lay in the financial disparity between the two clubs' offers, with Chelsea putting forward a significantly more attractive deal.
Srna explained:
Misha spoke with Arteta. I had a chat with Chelsea's coach, and it seemed that, at that time, Arteta was more appealing to him.
But ultimately, it is up to the club to decide whether to let a player go. We informed him that the club had reached an agreement with Chelsea. From there, it was up to him: either move to Chelsea, wait for Arsenal to match Chelsea's offer, or stay at Shakhtar.
Chelsea made a much better offer to Shakhtar than Arsenal did. We can discuss this all day, but we couldn’t accept an inferior proposal.
As a result, Mudryk ended up at Chelsea, despite his prolonged link with Arsenal.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian is now set to spend the season on loan at Tottenham, having made the switch following a four-year ban for a doping violation being overturned.
