Shakhtar Donetsk use £20.5 million of Mykhaylo Mudryk funds for Ukrainian soldiers
The money to buy Mykhaylo Mudryk will go to a very good cause, with Shakhtar Donetsk chief revealing it will be used to help families from war torn Ukraine.
On Sunday, Mudryk was confirmed as a Chelsea player, with the club posting the news to their Twitter account part way through the first half during their win over Crystal Palace.
The forward had been expected to sign for Arsenal over the past few months but instead it was the Blues who managed to sign him from Shakhtar.
It's no wonder that they were able to persuade him to hop across to west London, with Todd Boehly's side reportedly offering the forward double what the Gunners were.
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And money was certainly important in the deal, with Mikel Arteta's side unable to complete their negotiations as they weren't offering as much.
Mudryk is set to cost Chelsea £87 million when all is said and done, with the 22-year-old forward penning a nearly unheard of eight and a half year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Shakhtar are set to use £20.5 million of that deal to help those who have been affected by the war in Ukraine, after Russia invaded its neighbouring country last year.
Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov revealed the plans in an official statement on the club's website, saying, "'FC Shakhtar has signed a final agreement with Chelsea FC and thus Ukrainian footballer Mykhaylo Mudryk will continue his career with the Blues in the strongest national championship, the English Premier League.
"First and foremost, I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine. Today we are able to talk about Ukrainian football thanks to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people, and the tremendous support of the entire civilised world.
"Only by joining efforts we will defeat the evil that has come to our homes.
"I have never made it a secret that my dream is to win European trophies. This means that players like Mudryk should be invited to our club, to our Ukrainian championship, and we should win European trophies with such players, rather than root for them, even when they play in the world's top clubs.
"Unfortunately, it is impossible now, as Ukraine is fighting the horrendous and unjust war waged against us by the Russian Federation. But I am confident that we will win. And we will play a friendly against Chelsea at Donbass Arena in a Ukrainian Donetsk
"That is why I have made a decision to launch the Heart of Azovstal, a project designed to help Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers. Their acts of bravery are unparalleled in the modern history.
"I am allocating $25 million [£20.5m] today to help our soldiers, defenders, and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs — from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support to meeting specific requests.
"To ensure transparency, the project will have a professional independent team that will be in touch with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers, and volunteers."
As well as the money from the sale, Shakhtar will also play a friendly against Chelsea at the Donbass Arena sometime in the future.
The Ukrainian side haven't been able to play at their actual home ground since 2014 because of the war in the Donbass area of the country.
Fans would no doubt want the chance to say farewell to Mudryk, whose highlights show exactly why Chelsea have paid so much for him.
Topics: Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Premier League, Football
Ryan Sidle