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."
Rogers pens long-term Aston Villa deal
Morgan Rogers has signed a new contract to keep him at Aston Villa until the end of the 2029-30 season.
Rogers, newly minted as a full England international after making his debut against Greece last week, joined Villa in February from Middlesbrough.
He swiftly established himself as a regular in Unai Emery's set-up, and has played 22 times in the Premier League, making 19 starts.
The 22-year-old has netted six goals and provided three assists in the top flight.
Rogers has also started each of Villa's four Champions League matches this season.
His tally of nine chances created in the Champions League is the most of any player in Villa's squad, five more than next-best Ollie Watkins.
Jonathan David names Barcelona as dream club amid Lille uncertainty
Jonathan David admits it is his dream to play for Barcelona as he prepares to enter the final six months of his Lille contract.
The Canada international is into his fifth season with the Ligue 1 side but is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.
Lille have attempted to persuade David with a new deal, though he looks set to depart Stade Pierre-Mauroy in 2025 – potentially as early as January if a club is prepared to pay a transfer fee.
However, while the 24-year-old is seemingly open to a move to Barcelona, he suggested he would prefer to wait until the end of the campaign before taking the next step in his career.
"Going to a club midseason is never easy," he told The Athletic. "It's not like the beginning of a season where you have a pre-season, you get to know your team-mates, you have time to gel.
"In January, things are very hectic. It's about right now. It's tougher."
"[Barcelona] was always the team I grew up supporting. When you grow up supporting a team, it's your dream to play for them.
"Some people might say, 'Oh, he's staying at Lille, this is a downgrade, he's not getting better'. But for me, there's always opportunities to get better."
David has scored 13 goals in 19 games for Lille in all competitions this season, including goals against heavyweight sides Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League.
Including penalties, eight of those goals have been scored via his stronger right boot, four with his left and one with his head – an area the forward accepts he can still improve.
"Aerially, I can get better," he said. "Getting that header on target and scoring.
"I can get in good positions and win headers but the finishing touch, I'm still missing. With my back to goal, I can also get better."
David is averaging a goal every 112 minutes across all competitions this season, which compares to one every 139 minutes last season and 131 in 2022-23.
However, he still has some way to go to match the 18 goals scored in 27 league games for former club Gent in 2019-20.
"Things are good right now because I'm scoring goals," David said.
"But is this the best I've played in my life? Probably not. For me, it was my second year in Belgium. That was the season of my life."
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
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