Arsenal and Manchester United are among the clubs monitoring Shakhtar Donetsk striker Kaua Elias, with the Ukrainian club reportedly open to selling the 20-year-old for around £30m.
The Brazilian forward started the new Ukrainian Premier League season with a hat-trick in Shakhtar's 5-1 victory over Kudrivka on Monday. According to The Sun, scouts from both Premier League clubs were in attendance, as were representatives from AC Milan and Porto.
Impressive start to the season
Elias joined Shakhtar from Fluminense in early 2025, having already gained significant first-team experience in Brazil as a teenager. In his first season in Ukraine, he made 36 appearances and scored 11 goals, including strikes in both the Europa League and Conference League.
After his hat-trick, Elias expressed his delight: 'I'm delighted that the team won! We worked really hard during pre-season and claimed a very important victory, considering it's the start of the league campaign.'
Player and manager praise
Elias also spoke highly of Shakhtar's head coach, Arda Turan, the former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona midfielder. 'He really is someone who understands exactly what we need most. Whenever he has the chance, he calls someone over and talks to him, whether it's about personal matters or football. And that's not just with the players, but with everyone – the coaching staff, personnel and communications team.'
When Elias first moved to Ukraine, he outlined his playing style: 'I am a central forward with a great goal-scoring instinct, I can play well with the head, I perform well in and out of the penalty area, I can pick up speed quite easily.'
