Shakhtar Donetsk's deputy sporting director Carlo Nicolini has confirmed Manchester City and Arsenal are interested in signing Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The 21-year-old has caught the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs after a stunning start to the season, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 11 games. He hit the headlines on Tuesday after producing a glorious strike in the 1-1 draw against Celtic.
City and Arsenal fans will be excited about the news of their respective club's interest in Mudryk, yet Shakhtar have suggested they may slap a huge price tag on the emerging talent after Antony's £85million move from Ajax to Manchester United in September.
"The headlights are on him, but I say that the Italians always come later," Nicolini told Italian outlet Calciomercato. "Now it is easy to observe him, but it was possible to do it before. The Italians bring low proposals, we don't even sit down to negotiate.
"There are many English candidates, there is the Spanish on duty, the French on duty, but now it takes the right amount to take him away. Together with [Kylian] Mbappe, [Rafael] Leao and Vinicius [Junior], Mudryk is the strongest player in that position.
"Oscillating between Arsenal and Manchester City? They are two teams that have taken an interest in the player. But there are also other clubs that can spend right away."
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Mudryk has won eight senior caps for Ukraine since making his debut earlier this year. The youngster has been nicknamed the "Ukrainian Neymar" and was a transfer target for Brentford before attracting the interest of Champions League clubs in recent weeks.
Rumours in the summer suggested a bid of around £30m would be enough to land Mudryk, yet Nicolini believes the transfer market was inflated by Antony's move to Old Trafford. Some critics believe United paid over the odds for the Brazil international, 22.
Antony scored a modest 12 goals in all competitions for Ajax last season and it was the first time a Netherlands-based player had commanded such a transfer fee. As such, Nicolini sees no reason why Shakhtar should accept a low transfer bid for Mudryk.
"Is €40m (£34m) enough to buy him?" added Nicolini. "We do not speak to these figures. Not even for €50m (£43m), we don't even call the president to communicate the offer. We value Mudryk more than Antony of Manchester United, who cost €100m (£85m).
"We are not obliged to sell, we do not want to make phenomena. We don't want to shoot figures that aren't realistic. But in this team, he is the most decisive. If you want to take on certain players who make a difference in the top clubs, you also need the right money."
Shakhtar have dominated Ukrainian football since the turn of the century, winning 13 of the last 20 top-flight titles. They are currently second in the table, three points behind leaders Dnipro-1 with a game in hand.
