Arsenal are considering putting an end to their efforts to acquire Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January following Gabriel Jesus injury.
The Brazil international has undergone surgery for the injury he picked up against Cameroon while playing for his country in the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His recovery period is expected to last a few months, with February being the earliest he is expected to return. With only five months left in the season, this means Arsenal will be left with Eddie Nketiah as their only option in the striker/centre forward role for a while.
The Gunners were looking at bringing in 21-year-old Mudryk from the Ukrainian side as competition for Gabriel Martinelli but according to reports, could now shelf their pursuit of the player to focus on finding a replacement for Jesus.
AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham is reportedly on the Gunners’ radar, although his high asking price could make the possibility of completing any deal in January unlikely. Arsenal are also contemplating recalling Folarin Balogun from his loan spell at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1.
Arsenal planned to sign Mudryk and a midfielder – Danilo Oliveira from Brazilian club Palmeiras – in January. Alongside these two, Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Porto winger Pepe are on the club’s radar. Both players, just like their first choice pairing, are being monitored by a host of other clubs and will cost Arsenal a pretty penny.
Mudryk is valued at £40 million and Pepe could set the Gunners back at least £60 million. The reports, however, state that the North Londoers could go ahead with their original plan to sign a winger and a midfielder and work with what they have.
Meanwhile, Arteta has stated that he will evaluate the real extent of the situation with Jesus before making a decision on who or what the club needs in the January transfer window.
“There is no timeline. We know that he needed some intervention in the knee and we have to take day by day, week by week and see where that takes us,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s friendly match win against Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday.
“Affect transfer plans? What it affects is who we are as a team because he gives us so much. What we can do after that when we know the timescale better and we know when we can have him back we will look at the options and try to make the right decisions.”
