Shakhtar Donetsk have revealed the stunning details and clause behind Mykhailo Mudryk’s £88million move to Chelsea.
The Ukrainian youngster was a prime target for Arsenal before Chelsea overran their Premier League rivals and signed the player from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Chelsea unveiled Mykhailo Mudryk during their 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace.
While full details of Mykhailo Mudryk’s move to Chelsea was not disclosed, fans were briefed that the highly-rated Ukrainian joined the Blues for £88million, and will stay at Stamford Bridge till 2030.
There were other clauses attach to the deal which Shakhtar Donetsk have now disclosed, including commitments and links to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov provided full details over the transfer and revealed that Graham Potter’s side will play against Shakhtar in a friendly in a ‘Ukrainian Donetsk’ as part of the deal.
In an official statement on their website, Akhmetov wrote:
‘FC Shakhtar has signed a final agreement with Chelsea FC and thus Ukrainian footballer Mykhaylo Mudryk will continue his career with the Blues in the strongest national championship, the English Premier League.
‘First and foremost, I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine. Today we are able to talk about Ukrainian football thanks to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people, and the tremendous support of the entire civilised world. Only by joining efforts we will defeat the evil that has come to our homes.
‘I have never made it a secret that my dream is to win European trophies. This means that players like Mudryk should be invited to our club, to our Ukrainian championship, and we should win European trophies with such players, rather than root for them, even when they play in the world’s top clubs.
‘Unfortunately, it is impossible now, as Ukraine is fighting the horrendous and unjust war waged against us by the Russian Federation. But I am confident that we will win. And we will play a friendly against Chelsea at Donbass Arena in a Ukrainian Donetsk.’
The war in Donbass region of Ukraine have prevented Shakhtar Donetsk from playing at the Stadium since 2014. The stadium has remained unused and closed to the public since the club were forced to vacate it.
The Chelsea friendly will now be the first match at the Stadium since the war.
Chelsea unveiled Mykhailo Mudryk at Stamford Bridge with the Ukrainian flag draped over him. The signing of the Ukrainian star by Chelsea comes less than a year after Roman Abramovich’s reign at the helm of the club came to an end following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Following sanctions from the UK government, Abramovich announced his intention to sell the club he had owned since 2003, leading to Todd Boehly’s and Clearelake Capital’s takeover and a stream of big-money signings afterward.
Mudryk was born in Krashnohrad, Ukraine, on January 5, 2001, and he was part of the youth set-up at Shakhtar Donetsk from 2016, making his first senior appearance for the club two years later.
The 5ft 9inch winger also had previous short-term loan spells at Arsenal Kyiv and Desna Chernihiv in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Mudryk becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing this January, joining David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile and Andrey Santos.
Meanwhile, British government clampdown on Roman Abramovich for his alleged links and ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin in the heat of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The move saw the former Chelsea owner end his 19 years reign at the club, with some staffs of the club joining him on a mass exodus.
Todd Boehly planned a major overhaul of the team after he took over from Roman Abramovich following sanctions by the UK. He has gone on a hunting spree for new players and have stuffed the team with new legs.
Mykahilo Mudryk is Chelsea’s 14th signing under Todd Boehly. Despite the massive squad overhaul, the Blues are yet to gain a foothold on the Premier League.
