Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk’s staggering transfer fee to go towards fighting the war in Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov has pledged to set aside £22 million of the money he will receive from the sale of Mykhailo Mudryk to help fight the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea beat Arsenal, who were linked to the player all winter, by agreeing a £89 million fee for the forward. The figure is a record for Ukrainian football and the player has been signed and was unveiled ahead of the Premier League game against Crystal Palace over the weekend.

Rinat Akhmetov, president of Shakhtar Donetsk, said: “I am donating $25 million of the transfer fee to help our soldiers, defenders and their families.

“The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests.

“It will be managed by an independent professional team that will work with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers and volunteers.

“I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine. Today we are able to talk about Ukrainian football thanks to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people, and the tremendous support of the entire civilised world.”

The 22-year-old joined the Blues on an eight-and-a-half-year deal, but had looked set to sign for Premier League rivals Arsenal before he completed the move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League thanks to Kai Havertz and the Blues, who are without nine first team players due to injury, will hope that the win is the turning point of what has been a difficult season.