Having lost out on Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea, Arsenal are reportedly planning to get one back on their London rivals by attempting to sign a valuable Blues ace.
Arsenal were in regular contact with Shakhtar Donetsk and Mudryk as they tried to get his transfer to the Emirates over the line. Sporting director Edu kept getting the same response, that Shakhtar would not sell unless their £88million price tag was met.
Arsenal did not value Mudryk that highly, instead only wanting to spend an initial €70million (£61.5m) on him.
Chelsea soon got involved in the hunt, and chairman Todd Boehly immediately showed his willingness to spend big. Chelsea agreed a €100m (£88m) deal for the winger. This saw him move to Stamford Bridge on a contract running until June 2031.
When joining Chelsea, Mudryk said: “I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea. This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career.
“I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”
Arsenal have been linked with several alternatives to Mudryk after missing out on the Ukrainian. One is Leandro Trossard, who could leave Brighton this month after falling out with boss Roberto De Zerbi.
But once again, Chelsea are posing a threat to Arsenal’s plans. As such, they are having to scout other wingers as potential additions to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Arsenal eye Chelsea man as Mudryk alternative
As per Goal, who cite reports emerging from Spain, Arsenal have landed on a Chelsea attacker. This kind of move would see them complete a form of revenge on Chelsea for stealing Mudryk and potentially stealing Trossard, too.
The man in question is England international Raheem Sterling. Arsenal are apparently ‘on alert’ as Chelsea are considering moving Sterling on. That is despite him joining from Manchester City just just seven months ago.
This matches a report from Monday, which revealed Chelsea will ‘listen to offers’ for the player this month.
It is claimed Potter wants to use Mudryk and Christian Pulisic as his main wingers, leaving no space for Sterling in the team. And if Trossard joins Chelsea as well, then there will be even less room for Sterling.
Arsenal officials are said to be ‘excited’ about the prospect of finally capturing Sterling. They have set their sights on him in previous transfer windows but have never got his move over the line.
Arsenal may need to spend £50m on Raheem Sterling
The report does not reveal how much Sterling might cost. But it would be safe to assume Chelsea want to make all of the £50m back that they spent on him in the summer.
One sticking point is the 28-year-old’s current fitness levels. He is recovering from a hamstring injury and may not return until February 15. This is when Chelsea are scheduled to play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
If Sterling is out of action for the rest of the January window, then Arsenal will probably opt against moving for him. Although, the report states they will keep tabs on him for the next six months with a view to a summer swoop.
It would be a surprise if Chelsea let Sterling leave so soon into his journey at the club. They spent £50m on him last year. And Potter will want to make the most of this transfer, rather than cutting ties already.
It would make more sense if Chelsea let Pulisic go and went with Sterling and Mudryk as their main wingers. Pulisic has never fulfilled the promise of his 2019 move from Dortmund.