Manchester City enter race to sign Arsenal target as Chelsea continue to monitor situation: Reports
Manchester City have allegedly expressed interest in signing Arsenal and Chelsea transfer target Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sudakov, who was reportedly linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer, has established himself as one of the best Ukrainian talents of late. He is his domestic league's top goalscorer now, having scored seven times in eight appearances so far.
Now, according to inews.co.uk, Manchester City have identified Sudakov as an apt midfield target with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva likely to depart in the near future. However, they could face competition from Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to rope in the midfielder.
Last month, Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergiy Palkin claimed that Sudakov would not be allowed to leave on the cheap. He told the Thinking Football Summit in Portugal (h/t inews.co.uk):
"Everybody knows about Sudakov. I believe he is the new European star. Half a year ago, we had negotiations with Napoli. They proposed £33 million. But we believe that he costs much more. Therefore, we believe that in this Champions League, he will show his best. Because he has the dream to play in a top-ranked European club. If he shows good football, I believe he will jump to this club."
Sudakov, whose current contract will expire in December 2028, has made 111 total appearances for Shakhtar so far. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has bagged 27 goals and laid out 20 assists for his club.
Arsenal & Chelsea target likened to Kevin De Bruyne by club's head of development
Speaking to ESPN, Shakhtar Donetsk's head of development Oskar Ratulutra was asked to name the midfielder Georgiy Sudakov is most like. He responded:
"I'd say maybe like Kevin De Bruyne. He can play box-to-box and he can do everything. He is always in the game. His most important quality is his decision-making, that makes the difference. And his personality: he's not afraid to have the ball; he always wants the ball. We tried to play a positional game, and the rest of the team followed him in this as he had the initiative to make a difference."
Sudakov, who is adept at operating as both a number eight and a number 10 in the centre of the park, is allegedly a huge fan of Luka Modric. He is also an admirer of Phil Foden and James Maddison as well.
The Manchester City and Chelsea-linked star is expected to start Shakhtar's UEFA Champions League tie at Arsenal on Tuesday (October 22).