Shakhtar Donetsk Reject First Bid from Napoli for Star | OneFootball

Despite being close to Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli haven’t stopped pursuing Georgyi Sudakov, although they’ll need to raise their offer to convince Shakhtar Donetsk. They have lodged a strong bid and are close to striking a deal with the player on personal terms. He would earn about €2M annually if he joined, Il Mattino reports (via Fantacalcio).

The attacker has notched 13 goals and 6 assists in 35 matches this campaign and is keen on transferring, but his side is a tough bargainer. The Partenopei are fairly confident they’ll be able to shake hands for about €40M. According to Matteo Moretto (via SOSFanta), the Italian side has lodged a verbal offer that amounts to €35M plus €5M add-ons. The counterparty turned it down, asking for more money or a different structure.

Napoli have other players in their crosshairs to bolster their midfield in addition to De Bruyne and Sudakov, as they are rivaling Juventus for Florentino Luis. They are close to concurring to a five-year contract with a €2.5M salary.

Instead, more work needs to be done with Benfica concerning the fee. As they did in January with the wingers, the Partenopei are working on multiple targets at the same time.

Our Take on Napoli, Sudakov, Florentino, and De Bruyne

The first two, considering the relatively small wages, would be more typical acquisitions for them. The Ukrainian and the Belgian playmakers aren’t mutually exclusive from a tactical standpoint. The former is actually an easier fit, but they should be careful with the fee. Somebody with the traits of the Benfica starlet is a must. They’d actually need two if Frank Anguissa departed as rumored.