Georgiy Sudakov will 'definitely' leave, says Shakhtar Donetsk CEO amid Liverpool, Chelsea links

The talented Ukrainian is expected to fetch a price that his agent believes only a handful of clubs can afford

Highly rated Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Georgiy Sudakov will "move to a top club in Europe" this summer, according to the club's chief executive Serhii Palkin.

Sudakov has been linked with a host of top clubs in the Premier League and beyond and his progress is understood to have been tracked by Chelsea and Liverpool, among others. The Ukraine international is expected to play a significant role for Serhiy Rebrov's side at Euro 2024 having started all bar one of his country's international games in 2024 and he will be looking to build on an impressive run of form at club level last season, where he registered 10 goals and six assists in 34 games.

Speaking to CBS Sports, Palkin said: "We have Sudakov, a key player of our squad and we believe definitely that he will move to a top club in Europe." The Shakhtar CEO has previously intimated that he would be looking for a fee in excess of €50 million ($53.7 million) to part ways with Sudakov but asked whether there was financial pressure on his club, he added: "It's difficult to say about price now. The market dictates the price. We're waiting for the Euros, he's a key player for the national team. After this competition we'll have a lot of offers."

Sudakov was the subject of a failed transfer bid from Napoli in the January transfer window, an offer said to be worth €40 million ($43 million) and retains admirers in Serie A. Wherever he does land it is expected to be for a significant fee, one that will price many clubs out of the race for his services. Sudakov's agent, Vadym Shablii, told CBS Sports: "I think only 15 teams in the world can buy him."

For that price, suitors would be getting a player who is considered perhaps the best young talent remaining in Ukraine more than two years after Russia's invasion, a period that has delivered even greater instability to his club Shakhtar Donetsk. Sudakov for his part has made clear that he is ready to move on from what is a trying life, playing football in a warzone.

"There is no safe place in Ukraine today," he told the i last month. "Everyone is afraid. Mentally it is difficult. Every time my daughter hears the sirens she runs to hide under the blanket. It is difficult to accept this. I have the opportunity to move my family outside of Ukraine."