Mykhaylo Mudryk has dropped his biggest hint yet that he's eyeing up a move to the Premier League following Everton's attempts to sign the highly-rated 21-year-old.
The Shakhtar Donetsk winger, who identifies Cristiano Ronaldo as his inspiration, already has two Champions League goals and assists to his name this season, but if Everton had got their way, he might have been playing in the Premier League in a Blue shirt already.
The Ukrainian club's sporting director Darijo Srna recently revealed that Shakhtar rejected a €30million offer from the Toffees for their star man in the summer transfer window. The Blues had been linked with Mudryk towards the end of August but their exact intentions had not been clear until Srna gave details about the offer they had received. His comments suggest that Shakhtar are holding out for a much bigger fee.
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“We received an offer of €30million [from Everton],” Srna told CBS Sports . “And when our president doesn’t sell a player for €30million, especially in such difficult times, he is sending a message to everyone that he wants to progress in the Champions League and to win the championship.
“Mudryk is a serious talent. After Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, he’s the best player in Europe in his position. If someone wants to buy Mudryk they must spend a lot, a lot, a lot of money and respect our club and our president.”
Shakhtar's valuation of their prize asset may have discouraged Everton on this occasion, but he is a target that they may look to revisit, particularly following new comments from the player himself.
In a new interview with The Times, Mudryk is asked about the prospect of making a move to England and his response was clear as day. He said: “Yes, yes, it is possible. The Premier League is the best league in the world and everyone wants to play in this league.”
When asked about whether he is aware of Premier League fans discussing the merits of bringing him to England, he added: “No! I appreciate it, but I must improve a lot of moments because I think I can play better. I’m only at maximum 20 per cent of my potential.”
As Mudryk continues his development this season, Frank Lampard will likely hope that Everton's early interest in the exciting youngster will hold the club in good stead for another attempt to lure him to Goodison Park, before the bidding gets out of hand.
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