Mykhaylo Mudryk’s agent has played down talk of a huge valuation on his client, adding that now is a good time for him to leave Shakhtar Donetsk.
On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that Shakhtar Donetsk are warning potential suitors for Mykhaylo Mudryk that they value him at €100m, adding that Arsenal are one of the clubs monitoring the 21-year-old.
Yet the player’s agent, Oleksiy Alyokhin, claims a lot of the talk around Mudryk’s valuation is based on nothing but speculation.
“As far as I know, Shakhtar is not officially conducting any negotiations,” Alyokhin said. “And all these sky-high numbers that appear on the Internet are someone’s wild imagination or just speculation.”
Alyokhin also suggested that the January window could be the right time for the winger to leave Shakhtar.
“It can be seen with the naked eye that he outgrew the championship of Ukraine a long time ago and is ready to perform at a more serious level,” Alyokhin continued. “He needs to progress.
“And in my opinion, now is the best time for it. I think everyone will benefit from this. And Shakhtar, the national team of Ukraine, and the player himself.
“But again, Mudryk has a long-term contract with Shakhtar, he is fully focused on the remaining championship games. And whether Mudryk will go or not – I am not ready to answer. Everything will depend on the Shakhtar board.”
Mudryk himself has discussed Arsenal and the potential for a transfer to north London in the past.
“Every guy dreams it (playing in the Premier League),” Mudryk said in September. “Arsenal are a very good team, very good coach, I like the way they play.
“From my side, I can’t say no (if Arsenal made an offer). But transfers are not only my decision and my word.
“In winter, we will see. There were a lot of discussions about the transfer, about clubs who want me. But it’s normal. Now, I’m in Shakhtar and I want to play in this team. I love this team.”
Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that Arsenal remain interested in Mudryk, having followed the winger for a long time. The Gunners reportedly haven’t made any decision yet, but they’ll need to move fast if they want to do a deal.
Ben Jacobs reported in October that Arsenal are indeed one of the clubs interested in Mudryk ahead of the January transfer window, though they didn’t make a bid in the summer.
David Ornstein confirmed for The Athletic in August that Mudryk was among Arsenal’s candidates for a wide-forward signing before they ultimately shifted to the pursuit of a midfielder.
Mudryk has scored eight goals and assisted eight in his 16 appearances this season.