City Football Group-owned Girona are tracking much-coveted Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhii Sudakov, as well as his club and international team-mate Artem Bondarenko, according to a report in Catalonia.
Girona, whose chairman is Pep Guardiola’s brother, Pere, are majority-owned by CFG and have undertaken extensive player exchange operations with Manchester City since the takeover.
City prospect Yan Couto is currently on loan with the LaLiga surprise package while Girona’s star winger, Savio, will join up with Pep’s squad next season after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.
Should Girona land Sudakov and Bondarenko then they too could walk the path to the Premier League with City.
It would be a significant coup if Girona managed to land Sudakov in particular as he is reportedly in demand by many of Europe’s top sides.
Sudakov in demand by Barca, Liverpool and Juve
Barcelona, Napoli, Juventus and Liverpool have all been mentioned as possible destinations for the 21-year-old Ukraine international, who has just signed a new contract with the Miners.
His new deal extends until December 2028, meaning any team hoping to land his signature will have to pay out a significant sum.
Sudakov scored for Shakhtar in their 2-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona at Camp Nou back in the autumn.
Fellow attacking midfielder Bondarenko has also recently put pen-to-paper on a new deal, which extends for five years. The 23-year-old has previously been linked with a transfer to Rennes in Ligue 1.
Both Sudakov and Bondarenko are Shakhtar academy graduates and are expected to be the biggest stars in Ukrainian football over the next decade. The club no doubt hope they can follow in the footsteps of €70m Chelsea starter Mykhailo Mudryk and bring in big money.
The club’s interest has been reported in Catalonia by 3Cat.
Girona exploring Ukraine market
Girona have already given a platform to two Ukrainian stars this season with Viktor Tsyhankov joining from Dynamo Kyiv for €5 million last summer and striker Artem Dovbyk arriving for a record €7m fee from Dnipro in August.
Jordi Gratacos, a former Girona coach, also worked as academy director at Dnipro and is thought to be an influential figure in his former side’s explorations in the Ukrainian market.
