€60 million star picks Arsenal over Real Madrid bench

The Arsenal badge at the Emirates stadium (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
The Arsenal badge at the Emirates stadium (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

Real Madrid’s group stage campaign ended up being more difficult than most people would have imagined but ultimately, they were able to come out on top ahead of the likes of RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic. Even then, Carlo Ancelotti’s side were handed a very difficult draw, and will face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, a repeat of last season’s final.

One player who caught the eye during the Champions League group stages was Mykhailo Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk.

He put in some tremendous performances and as a result, it looks like Mudryk could be set to get a big move away soon. Rumours have even suggested that Arsenal have put in a €60 million transfer offer on the table for the biggest talent in Ukrainian football right now.

Real Madrid are another club who have been linked with him, but it looks like Mudryk would prefer a switch to Arsenal rather than going to the Santiago Bernabeu and just sitting on the bench. As reported by 90min, he told Vlada Sedan on YouTube:

"“From a purely hypothetical perspective if there was the option of being a bench player for Real Madrid or a starter for Arsenal, I’d probably choose Arsenal.“But it’s a tough question and involves a lot of factors in my answer. I would first want to know from the head coach that even if I wasn’t a guaranteed starter, that I’d receive a chance.“Essentially I need to hear directly from the manager what he envisages my role in his side to be. ‘The team’s style of play will play a role. It’s very important to me.”"

Mudryk would pick being a starter at Arsenal over sitting on the bench at Real Madrid

Of course, a move to Real Madrid would be difficult to turn down for any youngster. But at the same time, at this stage of his career, someone like Mudryk needs to be playing as much regular football as possible.

Would he get that if he did make the move to a club like Real Madrid? Los Blancos have players like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Fede Valverde, vying for the two spots on the wings.

Of course, as Mudryk mentioned, it is a hypothetical situation but let’s see if Arsenal and Real Madrid end up going to head-to-head over the 21-year-old’s signature or not.