Mykhailo Mudryk drops hint of his preferred club amid interest from Chelsea and Arsenal

Chelsea target Mykhaylo Mudryk has hinted at his desire to join Arsenal, who have been chasing the Shakhtar Donetsk attacker in recent weeks with a view to strengthening their attack.

The Ukraine international liked a meme on Instagram that showed him behind bars with the Ukrainian flag and the Shakhtar logo on the wall. The photo was posted by user 'arsenal_memes___' and the caption read '#FreeMudryk', as per the Daily Mail.

The Gunners' pursuit of the winger is no secret. They have already seen their opening bid of £55 million turned down by the Ukrainian club and their improved offer is set for a similar outcome.

It will apparently fall short of the club's £85 million valuation of Mudryk. A major hurdle in their pursuit will be Chelsea's newfound interest in the player.

The Blues are also in talks with Shakhtar, whose director, Darijo Srna, is in London to hold talks over the player's future. Arsenal's pursuit of Mudryk would have been intensified by Gabriel Jesus' knee injury at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Gunners have picked up seven points out of a possible nine in the league in the Brazilian's absence so far. However, they will want to add depth to their attack for the second half of the season.

Their competitors, Manchester City, are just five points behind and have a history of chewing down leads to win the title towards the end of the season. Eddie Nketiah is currently their only natural option in the centre-forward position until Jesus is back.

Mudryk isn't a natural number nine but he can contribute with goals and assists from the flanks. He can also free up Gabriel Martinelli from the left winger to play down the middle.

So far, the Shakhtar winger has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 18 games across competitions this season.

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A look at Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk

The winger is known for his ability to take on defenders and create chances for his teammates, and his goalscoring record is impressive for a player of his age. He has already represented Ukraine at the international level, earning eight caps.

Mudryk has made over 44 appearances for Shakhtar since making his professional debut in 2020. He has scored 12 goals and provided 17 assists in that time, establishing himself as one of the brightest young talents in Europe.

The attacker also had loan spells at Ukrainian Premier League outfits Arsenal Kyiv and Desna Chernihiv in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons, respectively.

In addition to his attacking prowess, Mudryk is a well-rounded player who can contribute at both ends of the pitch.