West Ham United may have come unstuck in their bid to land Shakhtar Donetsk star Georgiy Sudakov, according to reports - with the Hammers needing to up their bid to £40million if they are to land the attacking midfielder.
Sudakov has been on the radar of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in previous times, though the Hammers have taken the lead due to their need to add creativity to their ranks. They will need to do so quickly with just under four weeks of the window left, and they know that time is of the essence.
Report: West Ham Learn Sudakov Price
The Hammers must part with £40million to land their target
Georgiy Sudakov in action for Ukraine
The report by Alan Nixon on his Patreon states that West Ham have hit a brick wall in their move for Sudakov - with the Ukrainian outfit wanting £40million for their homegrown star.
Georgiy Sudakov's career statistics - record by competition
Stats
Premier Liga
Champions League
Ukrainian Cup
Europa League
The Irons had been linked with a move for Sudakov earlier in the transfer window, which has especially seen their interest ramp up amid Mohammed Kudus' move to Tottenham earlier in the summer.
The Hammers want to land the midfield magician as the Ghanaian's replacement, though they were hoping to get a deal done at £30million or less - which is not in Shakhtar's plans as they look to keep hold of 'one of the best attacking midfielders in the world'.
Despite ongoing troubles in Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, which saw Shakhtar finish outside the top two for the first time since 1996, they are not softening their stance on the sale of their star man.
Sudakov, just 22, impressively made his Shakhtar debut as an 18-year-old in a win over Real Madrid, and he's improved his goalscoring tally in each of his full seasons at the club. Last season saw him score 14 goals in all competitions for the club, including 13 in just 25 games in the Ukrainian top-flight - though the time may be right for a move if clubs in the Premier League come calling.
The Hammers had a poor season last time out under both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter, and with Kudus gone, new signings will be needed.
First-team signings so far this season have seen El Hadji Malick Diouf, Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson join the club, though with a number of first-team outgoings upon expiration of contracts, more incomings are needed.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 03-08-25.
Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Reportto get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox.