Arsenal told to emulate Manchester City to complete first January signing

Arsenal have been categorically told that their first offer for Mykhaylo Mudryk will not be accepted by Shakhtar Donetsk. The Gunners have been asked to look at Manchester City and the fee they paid for Jack Grealish in order to have any chance of landing the speedy winger in January.

Mikel Arteta wants to strengthen his attack going into the second-half of the season. The Spanish coach's need has been amplified after striker Gabriel Jesus sustained a long-term knee injury while on World Cup duty with Brazil, which rules him out at least until February.

Mudryk has emerged as Arsenal's top target in January, with the Shakhtar winger keen to make the switch to the Emirates Stadium. The North London club wants to get their business done as early as possible, and approached the Ukrainian club with an initial offer of €40 million plus a further €25 million in add-ons.

The offer was immediately rejected by the Shakhtar board, with the club looking for a much higher base fee to start with. The Eastern European club's public valuation remains at €100 million, and the club's vice director Nicolini asserted their stance by telling Arsenal to emulate Pep Guardiola's team who paid €113 million for Grealish.

"€60m it's not enough to sign Mudryk. Our director said that we need a bid closer to Grealish fee than Antony to sell Mudryk," Nicolini said, as per Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. "We're not even considering a bid with €40m as fixed fee."

However, despite their public stance, the Ukrainian outfit is expected to be privately willing to reach a compromise with the Gunners. Mudryk has publicly stated his desire to join Arsenal, and CBS Sports' Ben Jacobs feels a base fee of around €55 million plus add-ons should tempt them to sell.

"Shakhtar want around €55m upfront. Arsenal's opening and rejected first bid was €40m. More of a marker than anything they thought would be accepted," Jacobs wrote.

The 21-year-old winger, who has 10 goals and eight assists in 18 games this season, is contracted to Shakhtar until 2026. It gives the Ukrainian club power when negotiating a deal, but his desire to leave remains strong, and an offer close to €70 million including add-ons should see Arsenal land their first January signing.