'In talks' – Arsenal to beat Brighton, Newcastle and Liverpool to Roberto De Zerbi's '£65m' protege

The Gunners remain keen to add a winger to their ranks and have held 'positive talks' with the Shakhtar man – who could be available at around £65m, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Arsenal allowed Nicolas Pépé to move on loan to Nice last summer and may look to make their decisive move for Mudryk in January.

Mudryk, 21, has netted seven times from 14 outings this campaign, including three in the Champions League.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi – who takes his team to Arsenal tonight in the third round of the Carabao Cup – played a major part in the development of Mudryk during his time as manager of Shakhtar.

“If I don’t bring him to a high level, I will consider it a personal defeat,”Albion’s Italian coach previously said when asked how good his young charge could be.

De Zerbi would no doubt be keen to reunite with his former attacker but the asking price could be too rich for Brighton. The Seagulls' transfer strategy in recent seasons has been to snap-up some of the world's best young talent for around and under the £10m mark and then develop and give them chances to shine in the Premier League.

It's a tried and tested formula for Albion which could leave the door open for Arsenal – although they still face competition from Liverpool, Newcastle and Ajax.

"We know they [Arsenal] wanted a winger. Raphinha was the dream, but it was not possible to proceed,” Romano said yesterday on his YouTube channel.

"They have had very positive contacts on Mudryk on the player's side, but then they decided not to proceed with Shakhtar because they wanted more than £40m to £45m.

"Now Shakhtar want more than £60m to £65m," Romano added. "But Arsenal are still following the player.

"They consider Mudryk a top talent and so Arsenal are still there but let's see because now the race is open with many top clubs, but Arsenal will be busy in the next few weeks."