Chelsea 'line up' £65m transfer for Mykhaylo Mudryk's partner in crime who 'will leave'

It seems that Todd Boehly’s lavish spending spree is anything but over at Chelsea with the club reportedly already lining up a big-money deal next summer. Since taking over in May 2022, the American has sanctioned the spending of more than £1billion in transfer fees, although he has yet to see the club land a trophy during his tenure.

One of his more maligned signings has proved to be Mykhaylo Mudryk, who arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 in a deal that could yet rise to £88.5million.

Mudryk’s form in England has since underwhelmed, but that seemingly hasn’t put the Blues off from raiding Shaktar again.

Playmaker Georgiy Sudakov is currently excelling for the Ukrainian side, scoring seven goals in eight games this season. Four of those came in one match, where he dominated proceedings against LNZ Cherkasy.

The 22-year-old recently extended his contract until 2028, with a release clause set at a mammoth £125million. However, the club are reportedly open to ‘sensible offers’, in the region of £65m, meaning Chelsea won’t again have to break a British transfer fee record to bolster their squad. 

Sudakov’s age, plus his Champions League pedigree, make him an attractive proposition for English clubs, according to the inews. The likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham have also been linked with the star ‘almost certain’ to move at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

But Mudryk, 23, could yet prove the key to the deal. The pair have shone together at international level, and Enzo Maresca may view the addition of Sudakov as key to finally unlocking the potential of the winger.

The closeness of the duo was evident last month with Sudakov told the Guardian: “Mykhaylo Mudryk is an incredible player, he has no upper limit. He can win the Ballon d’Or with his qualities, but everything depends only on him.”

Tellingly, he added: “I dream of playing in Europe’s top five leagues. But it is difficult to prepare for that – you will only feel everything once you’re there. But I am ready for this challenge and I am looking forward to it. I am learning English.”

According to reports, Chelsea have already held talks with Sudakov in May, but an immediate transfer didn’t materialise. However, the west London club still proceeded to spend big elsewhere this summer, seemingly unperturbed by their bloated first-team roster.

Sudakov joined Shakhtar at youth level in 2017, making his senior debut three years later. He’s since made 112 club appearances, scoring 27 goals and helping the side to two Ukrainian Premier League titles.