Newcastle United are keen on Shakhtar Donestk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, but must be wary that he's 'hot property'.

That's according to CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

Mudryk came through the youth ranks at Shakhtar and signed a new contract in February which runs until the end of the 2025/26 season (via Transfermarkt).

According to The Athletic's Chris Waugh, Newcastle are keen to sign a new winger in 2023, and the Ukrainian typically operates on the left flank.

The latest

Jacobs says that Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen could compete with Newcastle for Mudryk's signature, but does stress that the Bundesliga outfit may be reticent after previously being 'messed around'. For now, the Magpies are monitoring the Ukrainian with a view to a potential move.

He told GiveMeSport: “You’ve got Arsenal and even Bayer Leverkusen [who are interested], but the challenge with Leverkusen is that they have been messed around before with Mudryk.

“They actually had a deal to sign him and it never came off. So are they going to return into the fold knowing that they’ve been messed around once before?

“But he’s hot property, and the better he does, the more clubs are going to be circling. But Newcastle certainly hold an interest and are keeping tabs on the situation.”

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/" title="Newcastle news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The verdict

Mudryk has been in excellent form so far this season, tallying eight goal contributions already. Domestically, he has provided four assists in his first four league matches, but he has been even more impressive in the Champions League.

Having scored one goal and set up two more against RB Leipzig on Matchday One, he found the net once again at home to Celtic last time out.

Analyst Sam McGuire has compared him to Sadio Mane, talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him 'The Ukrainian Neymar' and Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna claimed that the 21-year-old is the third-best left winger on the planet behind Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

It's clear from these appraisals that he has generated a huge amount of excitement, and a big move seems like it's in the offing. Whether it will be to St James' Park is another matter.