Chelsea sign Mykhailo Mudryk for £88.5m from Shakhtar Donetsk

Chelsea have signed winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth £88.5m.

Mudryk previously indicated Premier League leaders Arsenal were his preferred destination in a series of social media posts. Arsenal remained in talks as recently as Friday but were prepared to walk away from the transfer if the deal was not right.

But Chelsea agreed a deal with Shakhtar on Saturday night and the 22-year-old travelled to west London to complete a medical before signing a eight-and-a-half-year deal.

“I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea,” 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.”

Todd Boehly, Chelsea chairman, and Behdad Eghbali, co-controlling owner, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea. He’s a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come. He will add further depth to our attack and we know he’ll get a very warm welcome to London.”

Mudryk becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing of the January transfer window, following the arrivals of Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos.