Mudryk 2.0? Shakhtar wonderkid is 'the new European star'

Cameron Smith

• 15 Sept 2024 17:00 BST
• 3 min read

Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergey Palkin believes Georgiy Sudakov is destined to become a “European star” in the near future.

Sudakov has been linked with numerous top clubs over the past few years, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool among the teams reportedly monitoring his progress in Ukraine.

However, the 22-year-old signed a contract extension with Shakhtar in February and with his current deal now running until 2028, Sudakov’s price tag is expected to be sky-high next summer.

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This was confirmed by Palkin, who told the Thinking Football Summit (as per Ben Jacobs): “Everybody knows about Sudakov. I believe he is the new European star.

“Half a year ago we had negotiations with Napoli. They proposed €40 million, but we believe he costs much more.

“And we think that in this Champions League he will show his best. He has the dream to play at a top-ranked European club. If he shows good football, I believe he can jump to this kind of club.”

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Sudakov has one goal and one assist in five league games so far this season, while he also notched for Ukraine during the recent September international break.

The 22-year-old reportedly has a €150m release clause in his new Shakhtar contract, although his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at just €19.3m.

As a result, interested clubs may be forced to pay way over the odds for the Ukraine international.

The next Mykhailo Mudryk?

Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea in January 2023, with the Blues hijacking Arsenal’s move for the speedy winger.

However, they were forced to pay an initial €70m for the Ukrainian, and that fee looks incredibly high as things stand.

Mudryk has shown flashes of real promise, but consistency has been lacking and he is now Chelsea’s third choice left winger - behind Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto.