Chelsea have signed winger, Mykhailo Mudryk for £88.5m from Shaktar Donetsk.
Confirmation of Mudryk’s move to Chelsea ends speculation linking the 22 year-old with a move to his favourite club, Arsenal, as he joins one of their biggest rivals in London on an eight-and-a-half year contract.
“I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea,” commented Mudryk on completing his move to West London.
On why he has decided to join Chelsea after initially wanting to sign for Arsenal, Mudryk said: “This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career.
“I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”
Chelsea chairman, Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner, Behdad Eghbali are both “delighted” to welcome Mudryk to Chelsea, and described the winger as “a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come.”
Mudryk began his career at Metalist Kharkiv in 2010 at youth level before joining Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk’s academy four years later, which saw him attract Shakhtar’s attention and ultimately made the move in 2016 which culminated in his senior debut in October 2018.
The 22 year-old has since gone on to score 12 goals in 44 appearances for Shakhtar and helped the team to 2019-20 Ukrainian Premier League title, plus 2021 Ukranian Super Cup after they beat Dynamo Kyiv in the showpiece match.
Mudryk also spent time on loan at Arsenal Kiyv and Desna Chernihiv during which he made 21 appearances in total for both clubs without scoring.
On the international stage, Mudryk represents Ukraine and has made eight senior appearances for the team since his competitive debut in June 2022.
Mudryk will be eligible to make his debut for Chelsea away at Liverpool on Saturday 21 January at 12:30pm GMT live on BT Sport 1 in a mid-table Premier League clash.