Chelsea agree to a €100m deal for Mykhailo Modric and hijack Arsenal’s move to the wing

Chelsea Agreed a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for the signing of Mykhailo Modric.

Chelsea representatives, including global talent and transfer director Paul Winstanley and a senior board member, have traveled to Turkey for face-to-face talks with Shakhtar Donetsk, where the Ukrainian club is holding a training camp.

An agreement has now been agreed for a fixed fee of €70m (£62m), plus €30m (£26.5m) in add-ons. Personal terms have also been agreed between Chelsea and the 22-year-old, with the signing of a contract for seven years or more.

Shakhtar’s general position has been that they believe Modric is worth €100m (£88m) and they have now reached that price.

Shakhtar have informed Modric directly in the past few days of Chelsea’s growing interest in his signature. The feeling around the situation is that both Shakhtar and Modric are open to closing the deal.

The quality of add-ons offered by any potential applicant and the planned speed of payments to Modryk are priorities for the Ukrainian side.

Later on Saturday, Shakhtar confirmed details of the possible transfer and meeting in Turkey.

Shakhtar FC President Rinat Akhmedov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed the transfer of Mykhailo Modric to Chelsea Football Club today.

The parties are very close to agreeing to transfer the player to the club.#shkhtar pic.twitter.com/IoHOaFRfn5

– FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (FCShakhtar_eng) January 14, 2023

Mudryk caught the eye Champions League Group stage with three goals and two assists in his six matches.

It was a prime target Premier League leaders Arsenal, but now Chelsea swooped in to prop up a struggling Graham Potter side. Potter, whose Chelsea side are 10th in the league with just one win in their last five games, is believed to like Modric as a player. He is said to have led the deal.

In addition to his form in the Champions League, Modric also impressed in the Ukrainian Premier League, scoring seven goals and six assists as Shakhtar finished second in the table.

Additional reporting: Simon Johnson

(Photo: Getty Images)