Arsenal fans think Mudryk is now certain to join after Shakhtar director's Napoli claim

Arsenal fans are now convinced that Mykhaylo Mudryk is set to join them in January after a claim made by a Shakhtar Donetsk director about Napoli.

The Gunners have submitted two bids for the winger, who turns 22 today, who Shakhtar value at close to €100 million.

Their first bid rejected, reported as a fixed fee of €40 million plus €25 million in add-ons, was rejected by the Ukrainian side.

They have since placed a second, improved bid, as per Fabrizio Romano, of a fixed fee close to €50 million plus add-ons.

It is unclear at this stage whether the bid has been rejected by the Ukrainian club, but reports have emerged of Chelsea plotting to hijack Arsenal's move for their priority target.

Shakhtar, meanwhile, have been largely transparent throughout the process, with club CEO Serhii Palvin stating last week that he was due to hold further talks with the Gunners over Mudryk.

Now, comments made by deputy sporting director Carlo Nicolini have caught the eye of Arsenal fans.

Arsenal fans convinced Mudryk is joining

Nicolini told Calciomercato that current Serie A leaders Napoli previously asked about what would be required to sign Mudryk, as well as a host of other Shakhtar players.

He explained: "They inquired about many players but without making an official proposal. They asked us not only about Mudryk, but also of [Manor] Solomon, [Anatoliy] Trubin, [Georgiy] Sudakov or even before, [Mykola] Matviyenko and [Victor] Kovalenko, who went to Atalanta. They follow the best talents well."

Nicolini then claimed: "The problem is that Italian clubs don't take advantage of opportunities, like Milan with Enzo Fernandez, who is now worth over 100 million.

"When you get to a player in time, you have to sink the shot, otherwise the prices change."

Shakhtar director Carlo Nicolini: “Napoli have asked about Mudryk. His price? Look at Antony’s fee. The problem with Italian clubs is that they don’t take the chance when they should. Look at Enzo, Milan could have signed him and now he’s worth 100m” https://t.co/EZRg4GXgqT

— Renato (@rehnato) January 5, 2023

As a result of these comments, signalling Napoli's past interest in Mudryk, some Arsenal fans are now even more certain that the 22-year-old will move to the Emirates Stadium.

That is because Luciano Spalletti's side have missed out to the north London club on a number of transfer targets in the past.

They made what was described by Sky Sports as a 'big salary offer' to Gabriel Magalhaes in the summer of 2020, having met Lille's asking price. However, the centre-back joined the Gunners instead.

Furthermore, Italian outlet Il Mattino claimed that Partenopei tried to sign Arsenal pair Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares before their moves to London, whilst they also agreed a deal in principle to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille in the same summer he joined the Gunners.

Underneath Nicolini's comments on Twitter, one Arsenal fan wrote: "Napoli linkssss... welcome to Arsenal Mudryk."

Another added: "It is all coming together."

A third fan replied: "Linking someone who we're interested in to Napoli? Welcome Mudryk!"

While another fan said: "If Napoli is involved, then Mudryk is definitely a Gunner."

Arsenal supporters will hope the club can wrap up a deal quickly so that Mudryk can join a side that sits eight points clear at the top of the Premier League prior to Manchester City's clash against Chelsea on Thursday evening.