Journalist Ben Jacobs believes Arsenal could exit talks for Mykhaylo Mudryk if they can't agree on a sensible transfer fee.

The Lowdown: Could abandon Mudryk pursuit

It looks like it could be one of the transfer sagas of the month, as Arsenal have already seen one bid rejected for top target Mudryk and recently returned with a second offer.

The winger is certainly not hiding his admiration towards the Gunners, having recently posted pictures of him watching their games and praising Mikel Arteta on social media.

However, with Shakhtar Donetsk reportedly wanting around £100m for Mudryk back in November, this will be no easy negotiation.

The Latest: Price tag too high

Jacobs, who's spoken to Mudryk himself in the past, has claimed on The Done Deal Show that Arsenal could end up walking away from negotiations if Shakhtar don't lower their asking price.

He said: "Arsenal are not going to get messed around here; Arsenal are not going to pay above what they believe to be the odds. Arsenal are not going to put all of their eggs in the Mudryk basket in the sense of only focusing on him.

"He's very much the priority, but were Shakhtar to say, 'no, £100m or nothing,' Arsenal would walk away, but that's not where we're at, because privately, there is a real feeling that this one is going to get done."

The Verdict: Arsenal must land Mudryk

Given how long the Gunners have been tipped to sign Mudryk and the fact the winger is clearly desperate for the move, it would be a shambles if they couldn't get it over the line this month.

Perhaps if Gabriel Jesus was fit to play, the need for Mudryk may not be as great, but with the Brazilian set for a prolonged period of time on the sidelines, more goals and options are perhaps needed in order to sustain their title challenge.

Mikel Arteta can't be expecting Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah to start and play pretty much all their remaining games every few days or so. Therefore, Mudryk could come in and provide depth and quality given his impressive start to the season with 18 goal involvements for Shakhtar.