Exclusive: Mudryk wanted Arsenal transfer but was “never forced to sign” for Chelsea, says expert

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk wanted the transfer to Arsenal just over a year ago, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed, but he has also made it clear that the Ukraine international was never forced to move to Stamford Bridge.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano made it clear that while it’s true Mudryk was keen to Arsenal, he doesn’t seem too convinced by some of the more outlandish reports about the player that have come out in the last 24 hours or so.

There were some claims that Mudryk cried on the phone to Arsenal as that deal fell through, but Romano insists he was happy to join Chelsea and is now only focused on the west London giants, with nothing seeming to be in place for him to leave this summer.

Mudryk transfer saga cleared up by Fabrizio Romano

Discussing the whole situation with Mudryk towards the end of his time with Shakhtar Donetsk, Romano stated that there was no real issue, and that the key thing was Arsenal never managed to agree a fee for the player, whereas Chelsea did.

“There have been some reports circulating that stated Mykhailo Mudryk was really disappointed not to get a move to Arsenal just over a year ago, but I think it’s important to remember that he was never forced to sign anything, so he accepted that as Chelsea were happy to have him, and also were the only ones to agree on fee with Shakhtar Donetsk,” Romano said.

“Of course, Mudryk wanted the Arsenal move, it was already public how much he wanted that move at the time, but now he is fully focused on Chelsea and I’m not aware of any plans for the summer either.”

Chelsea fans will now just hope Mudryk can put all this behind him and focus on improving his form at Stamford Bridge.