'If Mudryk was Brazilian, he'd be worth €100m!'
FT Desk
- 6 Oct 2022 08:46 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk has been nicknamed the "Ukrainian Neymar," and Shakhtar Donetsk's Dario Srna thinks the winger should have a similar enough transfer value to the Brazilian.
Neymar €222 million transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 remains the highest fee ever paid and received in world football.
Mudryk may not command quite as much, but his performances with Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine have caught the eye over the last few seasons, and he came close to moving to Arsenal last winter.
Mudryk tearing up the Champions League 💪 pic.twitter.com/6p6r9fPEAN
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 14, 2022
Shkahtar's asking price has already crept up from €35m to €57m, and now their sporting director Srna, the long-time Croatia right-back, has trumpeted his player's value once again.
Shakhtar saw some eight Brazilians, including David Neres and Dodo, leave the club this summer amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but for Srna, the Miners have held onto their best player.
"We may have lost part of our identity," he told Spanish sports daily Marca. "But I'd tell you that Mudryk is better than all the Brazilians we've ever had. It's not an exaggeration.
"I've been in football all my life and I'd dare to say that he's the best player in Europe in his position after [Kylian] Mbappe, Neymar and Vinicius [Junior]."
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How good is Mudryk?
A powerfully-built left-footed winger, Mudryk has a wicked turn of pace and sense for where the space is for him to drive into before trying to make or take chances.
Still just 21, his decision-making is also improving, and this season has been his most prolific to date, with eight goal-involvements in all competitions, four of which have come in the Champions League.
Rated at just €3m by Football Transfer in house algorithm after our last update, his value is set to skyrocket with the next release. Whether than will hit Srna's €100m is another matter entirely…
