Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev has officially committed to English side Lincoln City on a long-term basis. According to Sport RBC.UA, citing the club's official website, the 22-year-old midfielder signed a new deal running until the summer of 2030. His previous contract was set to expire a year earlier — in 2029 — so the extension was a logical step for both parties: the club secured one of its key young players, while Varfolomeev himself gained a guarantee of stable development within the Lincoln system.
The essence of the deal and the club's position
The Lincoln City board view the contract extension with the Ukrainian as an important element of their strategy for building the team for the future. For a club that, at the end of the previous season, earned promotion from League One to the Championship, retaining players directly involved in that success is of paramount importance. At the end of the season, Varfolomeev was named the team's best young player, which made him one of the central figures in the coaching staff's plans for the coming years.
The path from Simferopol to the English Championship
Ivan Varfolomeev is a native of Simferopol, a product of the local Tavriya academy, as well as Lviv's Karpaty and Rukh. His position is central midfielder. He began his senior career at Rukh: in February 2021, he made his first-team debut in a Ukrainian Premier League match against Donetsk's Shakhtar, coming on as a substitute. In total, he made three appearances for the Lviv side, after which in 2022 he moved to Czech side Slovan, where he became a regular starter and played 63 matches. In the summer of 2025 — to be precise, in August — Varfolomeev transferred to English Lincoln City for 800,000 euros.
Statistics and recognition
During his time at Lincoln, the Ukrainian has made 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing four assists. His performances were one of the factors that allowed the team to reach the Championship. In the current season of England's second tier, the midfielder has already played 9 matches and recorded one assist. As of the start of September 2026, Lincoln City sits 12th in the Championship table, with 11 points from 8 matches played.
The Ukraine national team and prospects
The rapid progress of the young footballer has not gone unnoticed by the national team's coaching staff: recently, Varfolomeev received his first call-up to the Ukraine national team for the Nations League matches. At the youth level, he is a regular player: since 2024, he has made 14 appearances for the U-21 team, and previously represented the country's youth national teams. Thus, the contract extension with Lincoln City coincided with a new stage in his career — the transition from the youth level to the full national team.
