Arsenal make loan move for Ukrainian centre-back

Arsenal have reportedly made a formal loan approach for defender Mykola Matviyenko, who is currently in the ranks of Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

The centre-back has been closely monitored by manager Mikel Arteta from his time at Manchester City and it appears that the Gunners have now made an official bid to sign the 23-year-old.

According to Sky Sports, the north London side have proposed to sign the central defender for an initial £4m loan fee for the season but they are yet to agree on the price for a permanent transfer.

Shakhtar are of course looking for an obligatory buy clause for their prized asset and reports claim that they want around £30m for the player despite his contract expiring in less than 18 months' time.

Matviyenko's agent has already confirmed the transfer interest from the Gunners and he has recently cited that a deal could realistically go through before the 11 pm deadline on Thursday.