Arsenal look set to win the race to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk in the January transfer window.

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That's according to a report by The Sun, who claim that 'insiders' have revealed that Edu is now set to seal the signing of the Shakhtar Donetsk winger in the winter market, despite the attention of Newcastle United and a number of other top European clubs.

The report goes on to state that, despite Shakhtar initially hoping to secure a figure in the region of £90m in order to part with the Ukraine international, the Gunners now have 'the framework of a deal in place' for the £40m signing of the 21-year-old forward in January.

Absolute steal

Considering just how impressive Mudryk has been for Shakhtar in the current campaign, coupled with the Ukrainian side initially demanding more than double the winger's reported £40m fee, should Edu indeed manage to seal the signing of the attacker for such an amount in January, it would undoubtedly represent an absolute steal for the Gunners.

Indeed, the £13m-rated talent has been in devastating form over his 12 Premier Liga appearances this season, having already hit the back of the net on seven occasions and provided his teammates with a further six assists - averaging a direct goal involvement every 70 minutes of football played.

The winger was also in breathtaking form over his six Champions League outings in 2022/23, with the 21-year-old bagging three goals, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing a whopping 1.7 dribbles per game.

As such, it is easy to see why the player who Jack Collins labelled "undefendable" and Josh Bunting dubbed "frightening" has been anointed the 'Ukrainian Neymar' - as it is evident that both the Shakhtar starlet and the Paris Saint-Germain trickster are exceptionally deadly in the final third, incredible with the ball at their feet and can create endless chances for their teammates.

So, with Shakhtar director Darijo Srna claiming in an interview with CBS Sports back that Mudryk is behind only "Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr" as "the best player in Europe in his position" - two players who are currently valued at £173m and £216m respectively - the argument that the 21-year-old is a steal at £40m is indeed an easy one to make.