With Shakhtar Donetsk set to face Real Madrid in the Champions League, a few of their staff and players have been speaking to the Spanish media.
Among those is their new star, Mykhaylo Mudryk, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Everton reportedly interested.
The 22-year-old has scored two goals and assisted another six in six appearances this season with his club in all competitions, and this output has been enough to catch the eye of the Gunners and the Toffees.
First, however, he faces a big test against Real Madrid, which he will relish after being applauded off the pitch last year when the two sides also met, and spoke to Marca briefly, who asked him about the interest from clubs abroad, naming Arsenal and Everton in their text.
He said: “I would like to develop myself and reach a higher level in my career, but my thoughts, at the moment, are with Shakhtar.”
Mudryk also made it clear he wasn’t the ‘Ukrainian Neymar’, but was just himself, and was looking forward to reuniting with his compatriot Andriy Lunin, who plays for Real Madrid.
As for Arsenal and Everton, they have been warned by Shakhtar manager Darijo Srna, who said it would take ‘a lot of money’ to convince the Premier Liga side to sell their star.
That’s something the Gunners will likely have going forward, but perhaps not the Toffees, depending on how their finances pan out over the next few months.
Either way, Mudryk is looking to move up in the world at some point, but not just yet, with Shakhtar at the forefront of his mind for the time being..
