Shakhtar Donetsk claimed Arsenal were not close to signing Mykhailo Mudryk from the Ukraine club in the January transfer window.
Mykhailo Mudryk posted cryptic Instagram pictures showing how much he wants to play for Arsenal, Chelsea came up with a more attractive bid and payment structure to get the playmaker to the club.
Shakhtar Donetsk was not happy when Arsenal offered €70 million (£62 million) plus €30 million (£26 million) in addition.
The Ukraine giant’s CEO, Palkin, claimed Chelsea were more of a serious club than Arsenal, and they made the decision not to close the deal with the current leaders on the Premier League table.
Shakhtar Donetsk have also revealed the bonuses involved in the Mudryk deal to Chelsea. It was revealed that achievable bonuses were included in the deal.
The West Londoners hijacked the deal under the nose of Arsenal after reaching a deal worth £88 million.
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin confirmed the reason why Chelsea beat Arsenal to the deal was because of the bonuses attached to it that are related to Mudryk winning the Champions League and Premier League.
However, there is no added clause relating to the 22-year-old winning the Ballon d’Or, as predicted by the club’s former manager, Roberto De Zerbi.
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Slams Arsenal Conduct Towards Mudryk deal
The two London clubs were locked in a bidding war to sign the Ukrainian, who was rated as the fastest player in the Champions League this season. But Chelsea won the race, to the surprise of everybody.
The player was paraded in front of the Chelsea fans in the first half against Crystal Palace as he signed a new eight and a half-year deal.
Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Palkin claimed he got angry with Arsenal after the club contacted the player a month and a half ago before contacting the club.
He explained the reason why a lot of people thought Mudryk was going to Arsenal. Palkin told the press that it was because Arsenal contacted the club first.
The CEO claimed it was Chelsea’s serious approach that made them finalize the deal with Chelsea.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal offered the same amount, but the Blues got ahead of Arsenal through bonuses.
Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk had a nine- to ten-hour meeting to discuss a possible transfer.
They invited the player, and Chelsea explained their project to him.
Mudryk was interested in Chelsea’s long-term project and didn’t consider taking a lot of considerations into account before making a final decision.
Chelsea are currently facing serious problems after Todd Boehly took over. But the American owner is ready to spend a lot of money on the club and is also looking forward to financial fairness.
The signing of Mudryk is the fifth acquisition in the January transfer window.
