Who is Matvey Kislyak, the player linked with Galatasaray and Beşiktaş? A Russian football expert weighs in

Matvey Kislyak, regarded as one of the most important talents Russian football has produced in recent years, is being linked with Süper Lig giants. Galatasaray and Beşiktaş in particular are reported to be interested in the young midfielder, who plays for CSKA Moscow. Kislyak is also said to be on the radar of leading European clubs, and CSKA Moscow are reportedly asking for a transfer fee of around 30 million euros.

Russian football expert Artjom Zavodnyk assessed the young player's attributes, his potential and the possibility of a move to Türkiye.

"His playing style is reminiscent of Hakan Çalhanoğlu"

Zavodnyk, who says he has followed Kislyak since the age of 14, compared the promising youngster's style of play to that of Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Stressing that Kislyak has the qualities to succeed in the Süper Lig, the expert noted that Galatasaray would be the more realistic option in the event of a transfer.

Zavodnyk gave the following assessment:

"Kislyak is a modern midfielder who builds play from deep. He has the attributes of a number 8 rather than a classic number 10. He is very good at winning the ball and starting attacks. He puts in an incredible amount of effort on the pitch and covers a lot of ground. Thanks to his high football intelligence, he is at the heart of attacks and can also contribute to the scoring. In terms of profile, he is very reminiscent of Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

I have been following him since he was 14, just before he joined CSKA Moscow. His development path is very similar to Aleksey Batrakov's. It is certainly no coincidence that he is one of the biggest talents to come out of Russia in recent years. In terms of talent, technical ability, competitiveness and mentality, Kislyak and Batrakov are very close to each other. I definitely think Kislyak could make a difference in the Süper Lig.

However, Kislyak is very attached to CSKA Moscow and is happy at his club. He has previously said that, should he move, he would like to go to one of Europe's top five leagues. It is also being said that CSKA are asking for a transfer fee of around 30 million euros. Under the current circumstances, that figure will not be easy to meet. For that reason, Türkiye could be a sensible intermediate step towards making the leap to Europe; but I do not think it is very likely to happen in the winter transfer window.

We are following the interest from Beşiktaş and Galatasaray closely. In my view, the most realistic destination in Türkiye right now is Galatasaray, because if Kislyak moves to Türkiye, he will at least want to be on the Champions League stage. On the other hand, PSG, Inter and many other European giants are known to have put the player on their watch lists."