Former Ukrainian star Yuri Seleznyov insists that one of his compatriots who is wanted by Tottenham Hotspur, is not worth the price that is now being mooted for him.
22-year-old midfielder is wanted by Tottenham
The player in question is Shakhtar Donetsk’s Georgiy Sudakov, who has been making waves back in Ukrainian football, with his list of admirers growing by the day.
It has been widely reported that Tottenham have sent scouts to Ukraine to run the rule over the attacking midfielder’s performances this season.
However, Spurs are not the only Premier League side after the Shakhtar man, with sources claiming that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have all made enquiries for the player, while Newcastle, West Ham United and Aston Villa are in the mix.
Yuri Seleznyov on Georgiy Sudakov’s valuvation
Over recent weeks, it has emerged that it would take an offer of around £50m to get the youngster out of Shakhtar in January.
However, Yuri Seleznyov feels that is an absurd fee to pay for someone from the Ukrainian top flight, insisting that the midfielder has to prove himself at a top league before attracting an eye-watering transfer fee.
When asked about the price being mooted for Sudakov, Seleznyov told Sport UA: “In my opinion, football players [coming out of Ukraine] cannot cost that much money. Neither 100, nor 70, nor 60 million. You can look at other transfers that are made in Europe. Take, for example, Arda Guler at Real Madrid. He did not cost that much money. And, by the way, this guy is a player for the Turkish national team.
“In my opinion, Sudakov should go abroad and prove himself there. And then [if he impresses, a bigger club] will buy him even for 100 or 200 million! A recent example is Zabarnyi. He went to Bournemouth, didn’t play there [at the start], and [now] everyone is running after him.
“He plays confidently for the Ukrainian national team, is making progress, and has reached a good level in a modest English club. This is an indicator [of what Sudakov can do].”
Another Ukrainian is also on Tottenham’s radar
Interestingly, Illia Zabarnyi, who Seleznyov references to make his point, is also thought to be on Spurs‘ wishlist ahead of the January window.
Some outlets have suggested over recent weeks that Tottenham have been tracking the 22-year-old centre-back for a long time and that the Cherries are expected to demand £50m for the defender.