Shakhtar Donetsk believe Arsenal target Mykhailo Mudryk is already a better player than Manchester United's £82million man Antony.
The winger is the subject of strong interest from the English Premier League leaders, who have reportedly had a bid of £57m (€64.5m) knocked back.
It has been claimed Arsenal have since raised that offer to £62million (€70.2m), yet that may not be high enough to tempt the Ukrainian champions to sell.
Shakhtar deputy sporting director Carlo Nicolini said: "On the premise that we don't have any need to transfer him, we said in due time that we value the player very highly, more so that other profiles like Antony. This is serious; the parameter."
Mudryk turns 22 on Friday and his potential sale is already turning into an early saga during the transfer window.
Arsenal may face stiff competition from Chelsea, who have also been linked with the Ukraine international, but a move to Serie A looks unlikely, with Italian Nicolini suggesting clubs from his homeland need to be more assertive when eyeing up young players.
"The problem is that Italian clubs don't seize opportunities," Nicolini said. "See Milan with Enzo Fernandez, who is now worth over €100million. When you get to a player on time you have to sink the shot, otherwise the prices change."
It appeared Milan were in a strong position to sign Fernandez from River Plate before he joined Benfica. Now Fernandez is a target of clubs including Liverpool and Chelsea, having played an important role in Argentina's World Cup triumph.
Nicolini told Calcio Napoli 24 TV that Napoli, the Serie A leaders, were in contact with Shakhtar about Mudryk at one stage.
"The Azzurri arrive before many competitors," said Nicolini. "They enquired about many players but without making an official proposal.
"They asked us not only about Mudryk, but also [Manor] Solomon, [Anatoliy] Trubin, [Heorhiy] Sudakov or even before that [Mykola] Matvienko or [Viktor] Kovalenko, who then went to Atalanta."
Odegaard questions lack of penalty after controversial Rodri challenge
Martin Odegaard is "pretty sure" he should have won a penalty for Norway against Spain after a fierce challenge from Rodri.
The Norway captain was wiped out inside the area by the Spain midfielder in an incident that sparked debate regarding the ongoing battle for the Premier League title.
There would have undoubtedly been winces at Arsenal having seen the Manchester City man clatter into their skipper, with the two sides going toe-to-toe to finish top of the league this season.
Despite the heavy challenge, no foul was awarded and that left Odegaard confused, though he stopped short of questioning the officials due to concern he would be issued with sanctions.
"I'm pretty sure I should have had a penalty. He's coming with his studs right on my ankle. But I'm sure I'll get punished [if I say any more]," he told TV2.
"I don't bother saying anything else about the referee. It's better not to say anything."
While Odegaard held back in his assessment, Norway head coach Stale Solbakken did not hold back on an incident he felt could have changed the course of the game.
"It is a clear penalty. He finishes the shot and you can't [foul him after]," he said.
"If I knock someone down after the ball is gone, then it's a penalty. I get a little bored of this.
"What I see here now [on the replay] is exactly what I saw from the bench. There was a bit of arrogance going on. That’s the way it is, but it's unbelievable."
Elanga 'frustrated' with lack of Man Utd action but not dwelling on potential Barca move
Anthony Elanga has expressed his frustration over a lack of playing time with Manchester United and suggested he could have joined Barcelona in January.
The Sweden winger has made only seven starts for the Red Devils this season, while he has been introduced as a substitute on 17 occasions.
Elanga was linked with the likes of LaLiga leaders Barca and Premier League strugglers Everton during the last transfer window, but a move did not materialise.
Asked about a potential switch to Camp Nou at the start of the year, he told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: "That was in January, I can't focus on that now.
"The best thing I can do is focus on the rest of the season and then I will get to talk to the club.
"I love the club, but it's important for me to play. I'm still young. We have spoken to the club and they know what is required and I know what is required."
The 20-year-old hopes United boss Erik ten Hag gives him more opportunities and is determined to take his chances when they come along.
He added: "It is frustrating. You want to play, it's important. But whether you play or not, it's up to the coach not me. I have spoken to Erik [ten Hag] and it is private between the two of us. I know what he wants me to do and I just keep training hard.
"When the opportunity comes, I just have to be ready to take it. We have a lot of conversations, not only about [his lack of opportunities] but also what is happening around. That's the good thing about the club, we talk a lot and they help me a lot."
Southgate: Balogun must be patient for England call-up
Gareth Southgate urged Folarin Balogun to be patient for an England call-up.
The 21-year-old striker has excelled on loan with Reims this season from Arsenal, scoring 17 Ligue 1 goals – only Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David (both 19) having netted more.
Balogun's international allegiances are up for grabs, with the New York-born striker eligible for the United States, as well as Nigeria, and visiting the US during the international break.
Southgate is not prepared to issue him a call-up in order to seal his international future, however, citing his lack of Premier League experience as a reason for him being overlooked.
"It is up to the player to weigh up where his heart feels. Is he prepared to wait a little bit for an opportunity if he backs himself and feels he can push his way into our squad?" he said.
"Because anybody who has followed us will know that we will give young players a chance. So, we cannot go and give first-team call-ups to someone just because we don't want them to go somewhere else.
"We like Flo. He has obviously not had an opportunity in the Premier League yet, so we have to weigh up those goals to Ivan [Toney], for example, or Ollie Watkins. Or Eddie Nketiah, who has done really well with the opportunity he has had at Arsenal.
"I know there are going to be offers as 80 per cent of our players can play for more than one country now, and we are not arrogant expecting everybody to want to come to play for England. We have to make them feel wanted and feel part of that.
"Ultimately, it does not matter what you say. If you cannot give them the opportunity now, then some people are patient and want to see it through and are prepared to wait a bit and others want it now and I can totally understand that."
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