Arsenal are now among the clubs tracking Shakhtar Donetsk sensation Georgiy Sudakov, but they could face a problem in any potential deal.
Sudakov was the subject of a bid from Napoli in January, and the 21-year-old could be set for a big-money move to a European giant this summer.
The Ukrainian attacking midfielder has attracted interest as a result of some sensational performances, and has scored five and assisted twice in 24 games across all competitions this season.
Mikel Arteta is said to be eyeing up the midfielder, who plays alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko for Ukraine, but last year’s failed pursuit of Mykhaylo Mudryk could complicate any potential interest in the talent.
Arsenal failed deal to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk could complicate move for Sudakov
Fabrizio Romano has now explained that, despite links, Arsenal may not join the race for Sudakov, given their history in dealing with Shakhtar last year.
“It’s gonna be a super high price, because Napoli tried in January with a €40million (£34m) offer. It was turned down by Shakhtar and they didn’t even want to negotiate for €45m (£39m) or €50million (£43m), and then he extended his contract after that with a €150m release clause, so it’s not going to be easy at all to sign Sudakov,” Romano told Caught Offside.
“Juventus were interested but they got the same kind of reply in January, it was really complicated.
“Many clubs are following this boy because he’s a special talent, but I think Shakhtar are not going to make it easy, and also remember that between Shakhtar and Arsenal, the situation was already really tough because of the Mykhaylo Mudryk negotiation one year and a half ago.
“That was not an easy deal. We remember how Chelsea hijacked that in 24 hours, Arsenal were not happy with that story, so I’m not sure they are prepared to invest that kind of big money on another Shakhtar player.”
Have Arsenal burned all bridges with Shakhtar after failed Mudryk deal?
The Mudryk deal was one which caused a lot of frustration at the time, particularly given that Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar are reportedly still of the belief that the winger, who has struggled at Chelsea, would have thrived at Arsenal.
It is unclear what the relationship between the two clubs is like right now, but it is certainly not a healthy one.
However, if Arteta is dead-set on signing a player like Sudakov, then the club may not let this previous deal affect their current interests, although given the midfielder’s potential price and relative inexperience, it could be a deal to avoid regardless.