“Nonsense” – West Ham and Shakhtar Donetsk swap deal thrown into doubt

Shakhtar Donetsk are eyeing a move for West Ham United’s Luis Guilherme, according to reports.

With the Ukrainian transfer window open until March 11, the club sees an opportunity to bring in the 19-year-old winger.

Journalist Mikhail Spivakovskiy, citing sources close to Shakhtar, has confirmed their interest but dismissed rumours of a potential swap deal involving Georgiy Sudakov. His comments were relayed by Fanday. “According to my sources close to Shakhtar, the story about the swap is complete nonsense,” he said.

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“As for Luis Guilherme, the negotiations are ongoing, although they are very difficult. The agent and the player himself do not understand what motivation to go from the Premier League to UPL,” Spivakovskiy explained.

Despite ruling out the swap, Shakhtar remain keen on Guilherme, who has struggled for game time since joining West Ham from Palmeiras in June 2024. So far, he’s played just 55 minutes across seven appearances for the Hammers. A move to Ukraine could offer him a fresh start, but there’s a major hurdle which is his willingness to make the switch.

A transfer stumbling block for Georgiy Sudakov

Negotiations are ongoing, but according to Spivakovskiy, the player and his agent are hesitant about leaving the Premier League for the Ukrainian top flight, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal previously linked. 

GiveMeSport were the first to suggest that West Ham are the latest club to throw their hat into the ring for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Sudakov.

The Ukrainian club will apparently demand £54m for his services, and that’s perhaps why Porto, Napoli and Manchester City have all failed with previous interest in the player.