Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk insists he wouldn’t say “no” to Arsenal this winter after reports emerged on Monday that the Gunnes have made a “formal offer”.

The Gunners are looking to add the right players to their squad in January as they look to mount a serious title bid following their brilliant start to the season.

Mudryk gave Arsenal fans another reason to cheer on Boxing Day as he revealed he watched the Gunners in action. Mikel Arteta’s side came from 1-0 down to complete a 3-1 comeback win over West Ham at the Emirates.

During the game, news broke that the North Londoners had launched an initial £52.5 million ($63 million) bid for Mudryk. The Gunners offered £35 million ($42 million) up-front with a further £17.5 million ($21 million) in add-ons. However, it’s understood Shakhtar Donetsk want at least £60 million for their exciting winger.

Arsenal beat West Ham 3-1 on Boxing Day with Mikel Arteta’s side now winning 13 of their 15 matches this term and moving seven points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who travel to Leeds United on Wednesday.

Mudryk, who has burst onto the scene over the last 18 months at Shakhtar, seems to be one of their top targets and The Guardian reports that Arsenal have now lodged a “formal offer” for the Ukraine international.

However, the “their bid is believed to fall some way short of the Ukrainian club’s asking price’ with Shakhtar hoping ‘to receive as much as £85 million ($103 million) for a player who is rated among the world’s top attacking prospects but Arsenal are unlikely to go that high”.

Arsenal want to tie up a deal for Mudryk in January, rather than waiting for the summer, and the “hope in north London will be that a deal can ultimately be structured in a way that appeals to Shakhtar”.

In an interview with CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, Mudryk admits he wants to play in the Premier League in the future and that he would find it impossible to say no to Arsenal in January. On whether the Premier League speculation has been difficult, Mudryk replied:

“In the winter we will see. There was a lot of discussion about the transfer, about the clubs who want me. But it’s normal. Now, I’m at Shakhtar and I want to play in this team. I love this team. I love every guy in this team. Shakhtar is now my home but for me it’s very important that all my thoughts are only about Shakhtar. But in the winter we will see.”

When asked whether he dreams of playing in the Premier League one day, Mudryk adds: “Yes, yes, I think every guy dreams about the Premier League.”

Pushed on whether there is a dream club he would like to play for, Mudryk said: “It’s hard to say but Arsenal is a very good team, very good coach. I like the way they play.”

Jacobs then asks whether it would be hard to say no to Arsenal this winter, to which Mudryk responds: “Yes, from my side I can’t say no.”

But it seems Mudryk already has his eyes on Arsenal as he watched his potential new team-mates in action, much to the excitement of Arsenal fans. He was watching the game on his iPad and unsurprisingly Arsenal fans were delighted by his determination to watch them in action.

One wrote, “Mudryk not even watching it on TV. He’s watching on his iPad. The boy is committed.”

Another said, “Obviously Mudryk was watching on his iPad because he’s waiting to board his flight to London.”

And a final user commented, “Mykhailo Mudryk on Instagram watching Arsenal win against West Ham. Never seen a player this eager to join another club considering the transfer window isn’t even open yet.”

Boss Arteta – who singled out Nketiah for praise – was asked directly about Mudryk watching the game and what that could mean regarding a transfer.

The Spaniard replied, “The good thing in England is that we’re the only ones playing through Christmas, so hopefully a lot of people are watching our game and we’ve given them a good show.”

• A Tell/ Football365/ The Sun report