Arsenal submit third bid worth north of €80million for target in move to seal deal ahead of North London derby

According to reports, Arsenal has made a third offer to Shakhtar Donetsk for Mykhailo Mudryk.

The Gunners have made the 21-year-old winger their top priority for the January transfer window, but no agreement has been reached with Shakhtar.

Arsenal have already had two bids for Mudryk rejected by Shakhtar, who are demanding a fee of around £85 million.

According to The Times, Arsenal has now tabled a third bid worth £62 million before add-ons, bringing the deal closer to £70 million.

Meanwhile, SportArena reports that Arsenal and Shakhtar have held extensive talks about the deal’s bonus structure, with the Ukrainian side demanding add-ons worth 20% of the total fee.

Mudryk is said to have already agreed personal terms with Arsenal and is eager to join Mikel Arteta’s side this month.

The Ukraine international has made several Instagram posts in recent weeks to make it clear to his followers that he is following Arsenal’s progress.

Mudryk posted a video of himself wearing Arsenal’s kit during a photoshoot on Instagram on Thursday.

Chelsea has also held preliminary talks with Mudryk ahead of Arsenal’s visit later this month.

Chelsea’s approach, however, is said to be ‘exploratory,’ with no intention of meeting Shakhtar’s £85 million asking price.

It remains to be seen whether the Ukrainian giants will accept Arsenal’s latest offer, but if they do, personal terms will undoubtedly be no problem given the player’s previous comments on a possible move to the Emirates Stadium.

“From a purely hypothetical standpoint, if I had the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal,” the 22-year-old said during a YouTube interview. But it’s a difficult question, and my answer takes into account a number of factors.

I’d first want to hear from the head coach that, even if I wasn’t a sure thing, I’d get a shot. Essentially, I need to hear directly from the manager what his expectations are for my role in his team.