A perfect hat-trick, and ten scouts watching
Kaua Elias scored three goals in one half earlier this month. A header, a left-footed strike, a right-footed finish. Shakhtar Donetsk beat Kudrivka 5-1 to open their Ukrainian Premier League season, and the 20-year-old Brazilian turned a routine opener into a shop window.
Manchester United and Arsenal both had representatives in the stands. Both filed glowing reports. Sources put the number of European clubs watching that night at ten or more.
TEAMtalk reported today that United and Arsenal are now weighing moves. AC Milan and Porto are tracking the situation as well.
Try it for $0.99.
What Shakhtar want
Shakhtar value Elias at around £30million and expect that figure to be met in full before they open serious talks. They bought him from Fluminense in February last year for £14.5million and tied him to a contract running until the end of 2029, so they negotiate from a position of strength.
The numbers back the mark-up. Elias has 15 goals in 49 games for Shakhtar across domestic and European competition, having arrived with eight goals in 47 appearances for Fluminense and a Copa Libertadores winner’s medal from 2023.
Scouts describe a striker who already looks finished rather than raw. Strong in the air, calm inside the box, comfortable finishing with either foot.
No bids on the table yet
Nothing formal has landed. Elias’s representatives have started receiving firmer signals from interested parties, but no club has tabled an offer.
The two Premier League clubs are viewed as the strongest financially. United want a forward and have Michael Carrick pushing for two additions before the deadline. Arsenal’s interest has sharpened only in recent weeks.
The open question is timing. Sources expect Elias to reach a top-five league by the end of this window or the end of the season. Whether a club moves in the next fortnight or waits for him to keep scoring in Ukraine is the call each of them now has to make.
Discover the rest of our Football news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply