According to the Daily Mail, a Georgiy Sudakov move to Chelsea is on the cards for a potential £65m. Sudakov is said to be a friend of Mykhailo Mudryk off the field, and comparisons to the Blues' blockbuster signing are inevitable… but are they warranted?
The Blues have held discussions with his representatives over the last few weeks, and Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin was a guest at Stamford Bridge as he watched Chelsea thrash Everton 6-0 in the Premier League, with Cole Palmer memorably scoring four goals.
Palkin confirmed after the game that Sudakov has a chance of moving to some big clubs in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City checking his progress over the course of the season, as well as a number of clubs from Italy.
Sudakov to Chelsea: Another Mudryk disaster?
With yet another managerial switch still in the pipeline at Stamford Bridge, Blues fans will be hoping that Sudakov does not turn out to be a disaster should he make the move to Stamford Bridge. Mudryk's move there already falls into that category by all accounts, as he cost Chelsea a whopping £62m, rising to £88m.
In return, he has registered only six goals and four assists in 56 appearances across all competitions so far for the Blues, and has not always been first choice. It was a big risk to sign him after just one professional season in the Ukrainian league, and it is a gamble that has seemingly not paid off.
Sudakov has slightly more experience than Mudryk, recording 100 appearances for Shakhtar over four seasons, but again has not played outside of Ukraine.
Therefore, £65m would be a big gamble for the 21-year-old, and he even has an enormous £125m release clause that will be active in June. Sudakov has scored 19 goals and produced a further 18 assists in that time, a better record than Mudryk at Chelsea, but the Premier League is notoriously more difficult.
However, there must be a reason why the Premier League's current top three are looking at Sudakov, and Arsenal famously bid a large amount of money for Mudryk before Chelsea hijacked the deal. It is a move that could work out, but it is a big gamble.
