Arsenal and Chelsea target Mykhailo Mudryk has risked angering Shakhtar Donetsk fans by once again, taking to social media to seemingly express a desire to leave the club.
The Gunners, who are in need of attacking reinforcements, saw a £55million bid rejected for the winger last week.
Mikel Arteta’s side have since lodged a new £62million offer, which will again reportedly be rejected, with Shakhtar publicly stating they want some £88million for the player.
Moreover, in recent days Chelsea have also emerged as a possible destination for the Ukraine international, with reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming Shakhtar director Darijo Srna will attend the Blues’ clash with Manchester City this evening.
Advert
Mudryk, who celebrates his 22nd birthday today, has in the past been vocal in his desire to join Arsenal in interviews and on social media - a move likely to upset Shakhtar supporters.
Mudyrk likes #FreeMudryk Instagram post
On Thursday morning, Mudryk liked a post from an Arsenal Instagram fan account, arsenal_memes, which depicted a photoshopped image of the player behind bars in a prison cell. Above him were a Ukraine flag and a Shakhtar badge.
Hip hop anthem ‘Prison Song’ by Zigg Zag, accompanies the post, while it is also captioned "#freemudryk".
Despite arsenal_memes having had the post up for a couple of days, Mudryk only appears to have given it a like in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the news emerging that Shakhtar were set to reject an improved bid for the player from Arsenal.
Many Arsenal fans have since noticed Mudryk liked the picture, and have replied "#freemudryk" in the comments.
Mudryk opened up about Shakhtar’s price-tag
On New Year’s Eve Mudryk made it known that he was watching Arsenal’s 4-2 victory over Brighton. The youngster posted a picture of him watching the game on his Instagram, and labelled Arteta a “top coach” in the caption.
In the past, he has also expressed his disappointment at the eye-watering price-tag Shakhtar have publicly placed on him.
The Ukrainian giants claimed they would only accept a fee in the same region as the £85million Manchester United paid for Antony, and the £100million City splashed out for Jack Grealish.
In response, Mudryk told Sport Arena late last year: "When I found out about my price, I wasn't just surprised – I was shocked.
“I have a long-term contract with Shakhtar, I give all my strength and energy so that Shakhtar achieves maximum results... but every football player has a dream to play in a top club and in a top championship - I am no exception.
"But I am 100 per cent sure that they are unlikely to buy a player from the championship of Ukraine for €100m. I will not hide that I was very upset. The amount of €100m puts a barrier for my transition to the top championship, which I so dreamed of."
Topics: Football, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Arsenal, Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Transfers
Chris Byfield