Mikel Arteta responds to transfer interest in Mykola Matviyenko

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to confirm whether the club have made an approach to sign Mykola Matviyenko from Shakhtar Donetsk this month.

The Gunners have made no signings during the course of the winter transfer window and with just six days left, the club are not close to recruiting any player.

Still, there has been continued speculation in the media and Sky Sports recently reported that the club are looking into a possible loan move for Matviyenko, who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the press conference ahead of the FA Cup meeting against Bournemouth, Arteta was asked about the ongoing link with the 23-year-old, but he refused to confirm or deny the transfer story.

“I don’t know. I’m not going to be discussing any transfer links publicly. It’s something that we are trying to do internally and when we have news we will communicate with you guys,” he told.

There certainly appears an interest from the Gunners in signing the Ukraine international from Shakhtar and the same has recently been confirmed by his representative.

Still, a deal seems far from happening at the moment, given Shakhtar are reluctant to accept a loan fee and would only prefer the defender’s permanent exit for around £30m.

Matviyenko has been closely monitored by Arteta since he was the assistant manager at Manchester City. He has featured in Shakhtar’s past four meetings against the Cityzens in the Champions League, where he has played in the right-back and central defensive positions.

The Ukrainian also featured on the left side of the defence during the early stages of his Shakhtar career and his versatility may be something which has caught the eye of the Gunners boss.