Watch: David Ornstein outlines chances of Chelsea hijacking Arsenal’s Mudryk move

The Mykhailo Mudryk transfer saga may have taken another twist last night as Chelsea and Arsenal continue to battle over the Ukrainian wonderkid’s signature.

Reputable transfer source David Ornstein appeared on NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City and gave us the lowdown on the situation as it stands.

But he was speaking before the match, in which Chelsea lost 1-0 – a further dent in their top-four prospects – and lost forwards Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to injury.

It remains to be seen how long the pair will be sidelined for, but it may strengthen owner Todd Boehly’s resolve to bolster the attackers available to Graham Potter.

Mudryk himself appears to have made it abundantly clear that Arsenal is his favoured destination. He’s posted some not-so-cryptic social media updates professing his admiration for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

Chelsea find themselves 10th in the table and it appears increasingly unlikely they’ll be in the Champions League next season. That’s 19 points behind league leaders Arsenal, who look increasingly certain to return to Europe’s premier cup competition next term.

That may well factor into the player’s thinking.

However, Mudryk’s preference is only one factor in a potential deal. The other is meeting Shakhtar’s asking price, which is proving difficult.

“Given that we have no need for transfers, we said in due time that we evaluate the player stronger than some other profiles, such as Antony,” Carlo Nicolini, Shakhtar’s sporting director, told CalcioNapoli24.

“This is the benchmark.”

Antony went to Manchester United for €95million and Shakhtar are said to value their prize asset at €100million.

So far, they’ve reportedly turned down two bids from Arsenal for Mudryk. Chelsea are said to be entering negotiations but are yet to submit a formal offer.

“Arsenal’s pursuit is well documented,” began Ornstein.

“They have had two bids rejected. But their interest remains strong. I think they remain calm, and they’ll continue the conversations with Shakhtar. There is optimism that with patience they will get this done. Given that the player has very clearly indicated that he will like to join them.

“His priority, though, is the Premier League – and perhaps that’s given Chelsea a taste for this. Chelsea, as I understand, are monitoring the situation. They are interested in all players of a certain age bracket, who are high quality, who are widely-regarded as having a great career now but also a potential for the future.

“If the price is right – and that is crucial with Chelsea. And that’s the biggest problem in this situation with Mudryk is that Shakhtar Donetsk want €100million for his transfer this January. They are not budging on that as things stand.

“Arsenal, Chelsea, maybe others, think they’ll come down. The suggestions we get from the industry is that when push comes to shove, ultimately they will come down. But they are not coming down at the moment. So I think this one may play out over the coming weeks until the end of the transfer window.”

According to @David_Ornstein:

Chelsea have entered the $105M race for Mykhailo Mudryk alongside Arsenal.
Arsenal could bring in Joao Felix on loan.
As things stand, Enzo Fernandez is NOT joining Chelsea.#MyPLMorning | #CFC | #AFC pic.twitter.com/vrLTaYRKe7

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 5, 2023

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