Chelsea ‘hold an interest’ in Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk, although he prefers a move to Arsenal, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.

The in-demand 21-year-old is the subject of intense interest from the Premier League rivals at this moment in time and is expected to land on English shores before the January transfer window closes.

Chelsea transfer news – Mudryk

A report from the Daily Mail today has stated that Shakhtar are set to reject a second offer from Arsenal for Mudryk totalling around £62 million.

That comes just days after the Ukrainian outfit rebuffed the Gunners’ initial approach of just £52 million despite their director of football Darijo Srna publicly pricing Mudryk at €100 million (£88m).

And the Evening Standard has since provided an update on the attacker’s situation, stating that Shakhtar are set to hold out for around £85 million after being encouraged by Chelsea’ interest.

GiveMeSport Transfer Latest

With the Blues now also in the running for Mudryk, Arsenal no longer have a free run at the highly-rated attacker, and Shakhtar will hope a bidding war ensues.

Mudryk has previously informed CBS reporter Ben Jacobs that he ‘can’t say no’ to the north London outfit, though, indicating they could be his destination of choice.

What has Phillips said about Mudryk?

Phillips has disclosed that there is a sense that Mudryk ‘has his heart set’ on joining Arsenal and that he believes Chelsea ‘could be being used’ to speed the deal up.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

In an interview with GMS, he said: “Chelsea hold an interest, but the feeling from sources is he has his heart set on joining Arsenal, and we expect that to happen.

“It feels a bit like Chelsea could be being used to get Arsenal to pay up for him, but that’s my opinion.”

Would Mudryk be a good signing?

Mudryk shone in 2021/22, registering two goals and nine assists in 19 appearances across all competitions for Shakhtar before their season was cut short following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nevertheless, the speedster has elevated his game to new heights this time around, finding the back of the net on 10 occasions in 18 outings while also setting up eight further strikes for his teammates.

It’s Mudryk’s performances in the Champions League this season that have really cemented his status amongst football’s most promising stars, though.

A return of five goal contributions from six Group F encounters in Europe’s elite cup competition highlighted exactly why the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal are so desperate to secure his signature.