Under-performing Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is reportedly at risk of being axed by the Blues in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old had heavily teased a move to Arsenal in January 2023 amid the Gunners' firm interest in him, but the North London giants ultimately refused to bow to Shakhtar Donetsk's price demands.
Arsenal's hesitation allowed Chelsea to hijack their rivals' move, as the Blues agreed to pay as much as £88.5m to bring Mudryk to Stamford Bridge, forking out an initial £58.9m.
The Ukraine international has failed to adapt to life in the Premier League since leaving his homeland, though, only recording seven goals and five assists in 62 appearances for the West London side.
Mudryk scored a respectable five Premier League goals last season, but he has just one assist to show from four games across the top flight and Europa Conference League so far in 2024-25 and has played just 61 minutes in the Premier League.
© Imago
Mudryk 'desperate' to leave Chelsea in January
Mudryk's only start came in the 6-2 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers, but he only lasted until half time in that affair, and he was an unused substitute in last weekend's 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
Despite the loan exit of Raheem Sterling to Arsenal, Mudryk has still been bumped down the pecking order by new arrivals Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, while Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer represent other versatile options.
The winger penned a mammoth eight-and-a-half year deal at Chelsea upon his arrival, meaning that his current terms will not expire until 2031, but according to TEAMTalk, he is determined to leave in January.
Mudryk's sentiment is reportedly shared by Chelsea, who would only be too happy to offload the struggling attacker midway through the season, and he is supposedly not short of interest despite his Premier League woes.
German giants Bayern Munich supposedly retain an interest in the former Shakhtar starlet after trying and failing to sign him on loan in January, but they are no longer actively pursuing a move owing to Thomas Tuchel's departure and the appointment of Vincent Kompany.
© Imago
Instead, Mudryk could reportedly be offered an escape route by Ligue 1 side Marseille, who are now under the wing of ex-Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi and also signed Mason Greenwood, Neal Maupay and Elye Wahi over the summer.
Chelsea have accepted that they will make a significant loss on the Ukraine international, but they are hopeful that a successful loan in the second half of the season could bump up his valuation ahead of a possible summer exit.
Which other players do Chelsea want to sell in January?
Despite managing to get rid of a lot of deadwood over the summer and trimming their first-team ranks to 29 players, Chelsea are still hoping to cut a few more faces when the market opens once more.
Exiled left-back Ben Chilwell is still expected to leave despite being re-integrated into first-team training, and he is allegedly wanted by two Premier League clubs, including a newly-promoted side.
Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi - two former Monaco teammates - are also believed to be on the Chelsea chopping block and could leave if the right offer is made in January.
Ben Knapton
