Manchester City are interested in signing a new midfielder next year, but as it stands, they aren’t the club who are hoping to bring him to the Premier League in January.
Who are Man City linked with?
Having signed Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic over the summer, Pep Guardiola will now be in the process of assessing his options ahead of the upcoming window, and he’s most recently been linked with Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren and Palmeiras forward Estevao.
With regards to outgoings, Kalvin Phillips could be set to depart having fallen significantly out of favour, and he is attracting interest from Newcastle United, Everton and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, so with one central player potentially leaving the building, that creates space for a new one to arrive.
The Etihad Stadium outfit therefore appear to have turned their attention towards Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, who, since getting promoted from his club’s academy to their first team back in 2021, has made 75 senior appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Sudakov statistics).
The Ukraine international still has another five years remaining on his deal with Patrick Van Leeuwen’s side (Shakhtar Donetsk contracts), but having seemingly impressed since making the step up to the Ukrainian top tier, the 21-year-old has caught the eye of the Spaniard.
Georgiy Sudakov transfer update
According to TEAMtalk, which has delivered a transfer update on Georgiy Sudakov, Man City are "understood to be impressed" by the central talisman at Shakhtar Donetsk, and he therefore "could be targeted" in January.
The Sky Blues, however, are set to face stiff competition for his services with Juventus, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and possibly Chelsea all interested in reaching an agreement, alongside two unnamed clubs over in Portugal.
How good is Georgiy Sudakov?
According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sudakov is naturally an “advanced playmaker” and has no problem getting on the scoresheet, having posted 24 contributions – 12 goals and the same number of assists – in 75 senior appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk, but it’s not just his final-third involvements that he can bring to a side.
Sponsored by Nike, the two-footed star is a versatile operator having been deployed in six various positions over the grass since the start of his career, including four roles in the midfield and two in the attacking department, so he could yet be able to adapt to the demands of Guardiola should he put pen to paper in the near future.
Furthermore, Sudakov has previous experience playing in both the Champions League and the Europa League, so he will know exactly what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level, meaning that he is likely to possess the same winning mentality as the current squad who are already serial winners in the top flight.
Whilst Sudakov is still relatively young, he could well be a player worth making a move for regardless of whether he'd be thrown straight into the first-team action because he has the potential to be an excellent signing for the long-term future of Man City.
