Newcastle United have been dealt a blow in regards to their reported pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
The 21-year-old has been touted as a target for Newcastle after stunning form for the Ukrainian side this season. Across 16 appearances, Mudryk has scored eight goals while registering as many assists, which sources have told Nothing But Newcastle has been enough to attract the interest of Arsenal.
Both Football Insider and iNews have hinted at Newcastle’s interest, with the club having failed to sign the winger they reportedly desired during the summer transfer window.
Still, Mudryk’s price tag could prove prohibitive.
How much will Mudryk cost this summer?
Speaking to The Athletic, Shakhtar director Dario Srna hinted the club would be looking for around €100m – which roughly equates to around £87.3m – and cited the price tags on Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Antony as justification for such a big fee.
“The market is deciding the price — not me,” he said.
“Antony, Grealish, they are players of more than €100m and for me, Mudryk does not have less quality than them. This is the last two transfers in the past year, in more or less the same positions. Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
“We want just respect. The market is deciding the price, not me, it shows which kind of players cost this kind of money.”
Would Newcastle spend that kind of money?
At this moment in time, it’s difficult to imagine Newcastle paying almost £100m for a player.
While the club have been willing to spend big on players – namely the £60m signing of Alexander Isak – Eddie Howe has stressed the need to stay in line with FFP regulations.
Isak’s signing was a necessary one, given the injury concerns around Callum Wilson. Though Mudryk is clearly a talented player, there’s hardly a guarantee he’d even start given the form of Miguel Almiron, while Isak is also able to operate out wide and there’s also Allan Saint-Maximin to consider as added competition.
With James Maddison thought to remain a target and potentially available at a cheaper price given his contract has less than two years to go (for context, Mudryk’s deal runs until 2026) Newcastle might be better off looking elsewhere.
