Chelsea Back Mykhailo Mudryk Decision As Mauricio Pochettino Handed Huge Kepa Transfer Call
Chelsea have backed Mykhailo Mudryk’s decision to make himself available for the Ukraine Under-21s this summer at the European Championships ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The 22-year-old has hailed to hit the ground running since his £62 million plus £26 million in add-ons move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January. Mudryk is still settling into life in the capital, a raw product but has shown signs of why Chelsea spent big-money on the Arsenal target.
Mudryk is currently with the Ukraine senior setup, who drew 3-3 with Germany on Monday night, but could step down to the Under-21s for the Euros later this month, according to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph.
He wants to ‘recapture his best form’ ahead of his pre-season return to Cobham next month, which sees the Ukraine international now work under Mauricio Pochettino whose head coach appointment – which will see him officially begin on July 1 – was confirmed last week.
Chelsea have backed Mudryk’s decision to want to play for the Under-21s, but it remains unclear if the Chelsea attacker will be selected.
If Mudryk is involved, he will likely return to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground shortly after the end of his Euros campaign due to already having two weeks off following the conclusion of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Chelsea head to the United States for their pre-season tour this summer. They face Wrexham, Fulham, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund before returning to England in August ahead of the opening weekend to kick off their league campaign.
Pochettino has a lot of decisions to make after taking the job at Stamford Bridge, some of which have started to be made, with the goalkeeper situation high on the club’s agenda to resolve. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy both face uncertain futures, with Mendy likely to be sold.
Kepa’s future hangs in the balance. As reported by Matt Law, Chelsea have targeted Inter Milan’s Andre Onana and AC Milan’s Mike Maignan as their primary goalkeeper targets. However, Pochettino ‘would ideally like to sign a new goalkeeper this summer, but only for the right price’.
Pochettino is reportedly set to be asked ‘whether he would object to starting the season with Kepa Arrizabalaga as his number one, with a number of options still believed to be open.’
AC Milan have no interest in selling Maignan while Onana, who is contracted until 2027, could be available for a fee in excess of £50 million.
Onana was quizzed about his future after Inter’s Champions League final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, telling reporters: “I’m so, so happy at Inter. At this professional level you never know what happens.
“I’m available for Inter, they decide and I will accept what they want. I’m happy at Inter.”
Fabrizio Romano reports that a meeting is set to take place in the coming days between Inter and Chelsea over Onana, with Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly and Romelu Lukaku also expected to be discussed.
