Fabrizio Romano shares update on £85m player, after claims Liverpool are in talks with him

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As we tick towards the last day of the transfer window tomorrow, new arrivals are pretty much the last thing on anyone’s mind at Liverpool.

With Jurgen Klopp’s exit announcement taking centre stage since Friday, any chances of a late addition this January feel to have gone out of the window.

Nevertheless – although it may not feel like it – life will go on beyond this summer. Liverpool have plenty of work to do before we get there, but the recruitment team will no doubt have some targets in mind for the new manager, too.

One of those on the shortlist may well be Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Georgiy Sudakov. The 21-year-old has reportedly already been in talks with Liverpool, after they considered signing him last summer. And now, according to Fabrizio Romano on X, Sudakov will be ‘one to watch’ in the off-season.

“Georgiy Sudakov agrees on new long term deal at Shakhtar Donetsk!” Romano reported yesterday. “Agreement has been reached. New deal will be valid until June 2029.

“Understand it will include release clause worth more than €100m [£85m]. One to watch in the summer, top talent on list of many clubs.”

Sudakov signs on a Shakhtar

Liverpool’s apparent interest in Sudakov only came to light earlier this month. However, it was claimed that the Reds had been looking at the Ukraine international for a little while.

From our point of view, the high release clause now makes him not worth the entrance fee.

Liverpool currently have little idea who will be in charge this summer both on a sporting director level, and a managerial level.

There feels to be no way that they could sanction such a huge transfer without knowing those two key areas.

As a result, it looks like Sudakov will head off to join a rival on the continent. But that’s just a chance Liverpool have no option but to take.

There is obviously a possibility that Sudakov will end up going for less than his new release clause. As we saw with Mykhailo Mudryk a year ago though, Shakhtar are no mugs in the market. They’ll want to get full value.

Unless Liverpool bring in a sporting director who’s familiar with the Ukrainian side, it doesn’t feel likely that the Reds will bother taking them on. With West Ham’s Tim Steidten currently the primary name being put forward, that’s not something we expect to happen, either.

So, Sudakov is undoubtedly one to watch in the coming months and years. Liverpool may well be one of the clubs doing the watching. But we don’t think he’ll be on his way to Anfield.