Sources: Chelsea line up three more box-office signings as £250m January spree lined up
Chelsea are ready to spend more than £100million on three more box-office signings this month after their astonishing ambush of Arsenal’s move for Mykhaylo Mudryk, sources have told Football Insider.
The London club’s remarkable recruitment drive is set to rocket into another gear as Mudryk heads into London on Sunday (15 January) to put the finishing touches to his £88m transfer and become their fifth senior January signing.
The wide forward, 22, will undergo a Chelsea medical and put pen to paper on a seven-and-a-half year contract running until 2030.
The west Londoners had a bid of £62m plus £26m in add-ons accepted on Saturday night after a delegation, including co-owner Behdad Eghbali and director of global talent Paul Winstanley, flew to Belek in Turkey, where Shakhtar are based, to tip the deal in their favour.
Premier League leaders Arsenal had made their third proposal of £62m plus £20m in potential add-ons on Thursday and had maintained dialogue since over the structure of the fee.
Yet Chelsea ambushed them on Saturday in an incredible demonstration of their ambition and financial firepower.
The 22-year-old has been offered a seven-and-a-half year contract and was headed from Shakhtar’s training camp on the Turkish Riviera to London on Saturday night to finalise terms ahead of his proposed medical.
Arsenal have been reluctant to go above the offer they made on Thursday believing the player only wanted to join them.
Chelsea’s frenzied recruitment drive will not abate in the final fortnight of the window after they already sealed deals this month for Joao Felix (loan), Benoit Badiashile, David Fofana and Andrey Santos.
The Londoners have offered £26.5m for PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Mudueke.
They are continuing discussions over midfielders with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez at Benfica on their radar while Real Madrid defender Rafa Marin is also being considered.
In total, Chelsea are willing to spend over £250m on new signings this month in what is now shaping up to be a world-record January spend.
In other news, Chelsea hit by ‘massive blow’ as star man faces ‘months out’ – expert