Kevin De Bruyne has “inspired” Manchester City transfer target who “wants to try” Premier League football

One of Manchester City’s reported transfer targets has issued his own confirmation of admiration for one of the Etihad Stadium’s greatest-ever players.

Interest from the Premier League champions in one of Shakhtar Donetsk’s best emerging talents in recent memory was confirmed by the Ukrainian club’s general director, Sergiy Palkin earlier this season.

Speaking on Sudakov, and having confirmed Manchester City’s interest in the 22-year-old specifically, Palkin also explained, “Other clubs from England are also watching. I’m sure several clubs will make offers during the transfer window.”

Whilst there has been little to no progress since those comments concerning Manchester City and a potential move for the player, Sudakov himself has spoken to Spanish media on a variety of subjects, including his admiration for Kevin De Bruyne.

Speaking to Marca in a recent interview, the reported City transfer target admitted his inspiration from the Etihad’s legendary playmaker, whilst also claiming that a future move to the Premier League would benefit him tactically.

“As a child I admired Andrés Iniesta and Luka Modric for their intelligence and composure on the ball,” he told Marca. “I am also inspired by Kevin de Bruyne for his creativity and influence in decisive matches.”

Sudakov continued, “Right now, I’m focused on Shakhtar. I want to continue developing and help the team achieve success. In the future, I want to try myself in one of the best leagues in Europe, but I’m taking it step by step.

“I think my style is better suited to Spain or England. La Liga values ​​technical skills, while the Premier League would help me improve physically and tactically.”

There is a growing expectation within the game that Manchester City will move for a new midfielder during the upcoming January transfer market, however that is more likely to be centred around a defensive profile of player.

Rodri’s season-long absence is causing growing headaches for Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff, as the club currently find themselves in the midst of a six-game winless streak, with five successive losses ending in a 3-3 draw against Feyenoord in midweek.

Manchester City travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon as they take on Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool, hoping to secure a result that would present the Merseyside squad from creating an 11-point gap over the Premier League champions.