5 top transfers that can shake the UPL before the window closes

The summer transfer window in the Ukrainian Premier League traditionally provides a lot of information for fans and experts to ponder. Some teams in our elite league prefer to keep the squad from previous seasons intact, while others decisively rebuild almost entirely.

There are only two and a half weeks left until the closing of the summer transfer window in the UPL. September 4 is the day that will divide the work in the market for Ukrainian clubs into before and after. After this date, only free agents will be allowed to sign and register for the season, while purchases or loans will have to wait until January...

What surprises can the remaining stretch of work in the summer transfer window in the UPL bring, and what top incoming and outgoing deals can be expected in the near future?

Gabriel Mek

Ukrainian champions Shakhtar have had a fairly strong and balanced transfer campaign. In the summer, the "miners" significantly strengthened their attacking flanks by signing Gleiker Mendosa from Krivbas, Bruninho from Atletico Paranaense, and Ryan Roberta from Flamengo. Donetsk also bolstered their defensive flanks with the versatile Alexander Karavaev from Dynamo. However, at least two positions that Shakhtar wanted to strengthen in the summer remain vacant. While there is no news in the media about the central defender position after the failed negotiations with Genoa regarding Alan Maturro, Shakhtar still hopes to reinforce the central axis of their attack with the 18-year-old wonderkid and academy gem of Gremio, Gabriel Mek.

Why this transfer is important for Shakhtar and why without it the club's summer campaign is unlikely to be successful, we discussed in detail in a special feature:

Recently, there have been some changes in the situation. Turkish giants Galatasaray and Besiktas have shown active interest in Mek in recent days. Both Istanbul clubs, especially Galatasaray, are financially strong in the market and could convince both Gremio and Mek to reach an agreement. Moreover, the Brazilian club and the player themselves seem to have reached a point of no return in their relationship, and now the transfer would be a real lifeline for both parties.

Shakhtar, reportedly, has not given up on the idea of signing Mek. President Rinat Akhmetov personally wants to see Gabriel at the club. Considering a recent meeting between the club's boss and top management with head coach Arda Turan, where transfer issues were also discussed, hope for signing Mek should still be alive among the fans of the Donetsk club.

Matviy Ponomarenko

For Dynamo, the perennial rival of Shakhtar in the battle for the UPL title, the current priority is not signing a star player but retaining one in their squad for the season, which marks the celebration of the club's 100th anniversary.

We are, of course, talking about Matviy Ponomarenko. The 20-year-old forward seamlessly integrated into the first team of the "blue and whites" in the second half of last season, quickly becoming one of the key performers for Igor Kostiuk. Ponomarenko's effectiveness is a topic for separate discussions that have not been held in the UPL for quite some time: since the appearances of players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Teixeira in our championship, who impressed with their speed of play.

Rumors of a possible departure of Ponomarenko from Dynamo began to surface immediately after the end of the last championship. However, the Kyiv club managed to sign a new contract with Matviy on improved terms in the third decade of July. However, one important event occurred that could affect Ponomarenko's future at Dynamo - the Kyivans were eliminated from European competitions in the third decade of July and will have to compete exclusively in national tournaments throughout the 2026/27 season. How satisfying and fulfilling this will be for Ponomarenko's ambitions in Dynamo is not very clear yet.

A serious contender for Ponomarenko in the market is currently only one - Turkish Galatasaray. The Istanbul club has the financial means to meet the financial demands of both Dynamo and Matviy. Moreover, Galatasaray also has an important sporting trump card - the "lions" can ensure the Ukrainian striker's participation in the Champions League group stage. It is rumored that Galatasaray may intensify efforts to sign Ponomarenko closer to the end of August, hoping for a favorable discount from Dynamo. Let's see how Matviy himself and the owners of the "blue and whites" will fare in this case, as on the one hand, they need to somehow compensate for the failure in European competitions and the lack of financial inflows from UEFA, and on the other hand, help Igor Kostiuk in terms of squad depth to enable the coach to secure the league title in a significant season for the club.

Eduard Sarapiy

Information about the possible departure of 27-year-old center-back of Polissya and the Ukrainian national team Eduard Sarapiy to the Italian Serie A has emerged quite recently. It was reported that Sassuolo is interested in the defender, who impressed representatives of the club during a friendly match between the national teams of Ukraine and Poland in May. In addition, the "black and greens" through their head coach Alberto Aquilani provided references about Sarapiy to the coach of the "blue-yellows" Andrea Maldini, who gave exceptionally positive recommendations about the Polissya player.

As a result, Sassuolo started negotiations with Polissya regarding Sarapiy's transfer, but so far the parties have not reached an agreement. The negotiations are not canceled but are essentially paused and can be resumed promptly. It is rumored that the "wolves" were not satisfied with the deal format proposed by Sassuolo. The Italians expressed readiness to loan Sarapiy for one year for 1 million euros and include a buyout option of 7 million euros in the deal, which would become mandatory only if Eduard plays a certain number of matches for the "black and greens."

This last factor did not suit Polissya, whose bosses did not consider such a format acceptable strategically for their club. However, if Sassuolo does not find better or more affordable options for strengthening their defense, it is quite likely that closer to the end of the month, the Italians will change the terms, and negotiations regarding Sarapiy could lead to an agreement.

Radek Shyler

This summer, there are many rumors swirling around the silver medalist of the last UPL season - LNZ.

For this reason, it is not excluded that before the closing of the transfer window, LNZ will still consider another incoming transfer of a center forward. And the well-known to the "violet" Radek Shiler is seen as almost an optimal candidate.

Shiler went through the academy of Prague's "Sparta" and has been playing for "Podbrezova" since the summer of 2025. Last season, Radek became third in the list of the best scorers of the elite division of the Slovak championship, and the current season also started impressively - scoring 3 goals in 4 matches. It is expected that for Shiler's transfer, "Podbrezova" will ask for 1 to 1.5 million euros, and the main question for now is whether Cherkasy will find the funds and whether the club will want to invest in another center forward.

Oleksiy Kashchuk

Also, before the closing of the transfer window in the UPL, an interesting return may take place. We are talking about 26-year-old winger of "Karabakh" Oleksiy Kashchuk, who is a graduate of the "Shakhtar" academy, but has also played for "Mariupol" in the domestic elite division.

According to insiders, this summer, two ambitious UPL clubs - "Polissya" and "Kharkiv" - showed interest in signing Kashchuk. "Wolves" even held negotiations but faced Oleksiy's unwillingness to return to Ukraine now, as the Azerbaijani club may give him the opportunity to play in European competitions if Dutch "Twente" passes in the final round of the Conference League qualification.

In addition, Kashchuk has good financial conditions in his contract with "Karabakh," which will not be easy to replicate in the current UPL. However, the situation may be influenced by the information that surfaced in the media back in June - that the Azerbaijani grand is ready to sell Kashchuk if they receive a decent offer. This aspect, together with the potential exit of "Karabakh" from "Twente" and the absence of European competitions in the Azerbaijani team, could make Kashchuk change his mind, and "Kharkiv" or "Polissya" could help bring Oleksiy back to his homeland as a result.

For the UPL, Kashchuk's return would be a very interesting option, and overall, the league would benefit from having such a player. And for the winger himself, returning to his native championship could serve him much better than staying in Azerbaijan. At least because in this way, Oleksiy will always be in the spotlight of the coaching staff of the Ukrainian national team led by Andrea Maldera, who is currently carefully studying the circle of potential players for the "blue-yellow" in the upcoming Nations League cycle.