Mykhaylo Mudryk seemingly sent a message to Shakhtar Donetsk on Instagram after Arsenal submitted their first bid for him this week.

Leipzig's Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (L) and Shakhtar Donetsk's Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk vie for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig in Warsaw, on November 2, 2022. (Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Leipzig’s Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (L) and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk vie for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig in Warsaw, on November 2, 2022. (Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

On Monday afternoon, news broke of Arsenal’s opening bid for 21-year-old winger Mykhaylo Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Athletic report that Arsenal have offered €40m upfront, with a further €25m in add-ons, bringing the total deal to €65m (£57.6m).

This tallies with an update from Charles Watts, who reports that Arsenal’s total bid was around £55m including add-ons.

The Athletic, Watts, and Fabrizio Romano all suggest this won’t be enough to convince Shakhtar to sell. Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reports that Shakhtar are “yet to accept”.

Adam Crafton writes that there may be a deal if Arsenal get their bid closer to €85-90m (~£75-80m). But the Gunners could also play a longer game to try and bring that figure down.

The valuation gap of £20-25m doesn’t seem impossible to bridge over the course of the next month, but it may require some assistance from Mudryk’s end.

On that front, the player was doing his best to show his willingness to join Arsenal on his Instagram page on Monday night.

First, he liked a post reporting Arsenal’s bid for him. Then, he posted a clip of himself watching the Gunners’ game against West Ham, as Eddie Nketiah scored the third.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1607490738052558848

Shakhtar Donetsk's Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk celebrates scoring the 1-1 goal during UEFA Champions League Group F between Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic FC in Warsaw on September 14, 2022. (Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk celebrates scoring the 1-1 goal during UEFA Champions League Group F between Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic FC in Warsaw on September 14, 2022. (Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta wouldn’t comment on Mudryk’s potential transfer after Arsenal’s game on Monday, but he admitted it’s a positive that people (like Mudryk) were tuning in to watch their win.

“You know that I never speak to other players that are not with us,” Arteta began.

“And it might be that you have to ask me the question but we said that we will try to find ways to strengthen the team. We will find the right players and that’s all I can say.

“It’s a good thing for England that you don’t have many other matches in other countries. We are the only ones playing through Christmas so hopefully, a lot of people watched our game and we gave them a good show.”