Arsenal discover offer needed to prevent Unai Emery reunion with Villarreal star as Mudryk alternative emerges (original) (raw)

Arsenal have found out how much they will need to pay to sign a Villarreal player ahead of Unai Emery and Aston Villa, according to reports.

Former Arsenal boss Emery is back in the Premier League after taking the reigns at Villa on November 1. That came after Villa announced his capture from Villarreal on October 24.

The Spaniard is back in England to try and sort out his unfinished business following an underwhelming spell at Arsenal between July 2018 and November 2019.

It is no surprise that since Emery’s move to Aston Villa they have been linked with several players from La Liga and Villarreal in particular.

What is quite surprising though is the fact that Arsenal and Villa could do battle over the signing of an attacker from the Yellow Submarine, as the Spanish outfit are known.

Arsenal are on the lookout for a new winger to take Mikel Arteta’s attack to the next level. Their top target seems to be Mykhaylo Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk.

According to a recent report, Arsenal have sent Shakhtar a big-money bid for the wide man. However, the move is now under threat as Newcastle chiefs are plotting a club-record swoop for him.

The Magpies have clearly got under Arsenal’s skin as they are now hunting for winger alternatives, should Mudryk end up at St James’ Park.

Arsenal, Villa both hoping to sign Villarreal man

One option is Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze, who has made 20 appearances for Villarreal this season.

Emery likes Chukwueze a lot after he played a role in helping Villarreal win their first ever major honour – the Europa League – in 2020-21.

This sets up a big transfer tussle between Arsenal and the Villans for him. And there has now been an update on the transfer hunt.

According to football.london, who cite reports coming out of Spain, Arsenal have discovered how much they will need to spend on Chukwueze. Villarreal will accept bids worth €40million (£35.1m) for the star.

While Mudryk is Arsenal’s main target, he will cost upwards of £50m. And as per Football Insider, the deal could reach as much as £60m.

Chukwueze is available for around half of Mudryk’s price. So if Arsenal want to save some money, they could prioritise Chukwueze’s move instead.

The 23-year-old could be tempted by the prospect of moving to the Premier League. He has only ever played in Spain before and would probably welcome the prospect of trying out a new challenge.

A big factor to consider is the pull of the Prem currently. It has massive spending power, way more than La Liga.

This has resulted in big-name managers such as Emery and Julen Lopetegui joining mid-table clubs such as Villa and Wolves.

Both Arsenal and Villa would easily be able to offer Chukwueze a big pay rise if he moved here from Spain. While his priority will be to become a first-team regular, the financial side should help to sweeten the deal.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly ‘dark horses’ in the chase for a Man Utd and Arsenal target.