Girona director Quique Carcel has confirmed the club are powerless to prevent Artem Dovbyk leaving this summer due to a €40m (£33.8m) release clause in the forward’s contract.
Dovbyk produced a stunning first season in Spanish football to finish as La Liga’s leading scorer, with the 24-goal forward becoming the first non-Real Madrid or Barcelona player to win the Pichichi Trophy since 2008-09.
The 27-year-old’s goals fired Girona to a shock third-place finish and Champions League qualification, though the Catalan club face a fight to hold onto the Ukraine international as clubs circle.
Atletico Madrid are thought to be leading the chase for Dovbyk as Diego Simeone seeks to sign a striker, while there’s significant interest in his services from Italy and England.
Carcel has confirmed the presence of a release clause in Dovbyk’s contract that leaves the Spanish side vulnerable to losing their leading scorer.
“I don’t want to sell Dovbyk, but if they pay €40m you can’t do anything, you have to sell,” he said in quotes published by Fabrizio Romano.
Dovbyk signed for Girona in a club-record €7m deal last summer from SC Dnipro-1, having scored 53 goals in 84 appearances for the Ukrainian side. He has scored 10 goals in 30 caps for Ukraine and is currently with the national side at Euro 2024.
