Lincoln City have secured the long-term future of Ivan Varfolomeev, with the midfielder signing a new contract keeping him at Sincil Bank until the summer of 2030.
The 22-year-old’s new deal continues an excellent spell for the Ukrainian, who has followed up our promotion-winning campaign with eight Championship appearances and a first senior international call-up. Having established himself with Ukraine’s U21 side, he now has the opportunity to represent his country at senior level during the upcoming Nations League fixtures.
It is another significant step for a player who arrived from Slovan Liberec in August 2025 with the expectation that he would need time to settle. Just over a year later, he has a Young Player of the Season award, a promotion and a new contract behind him, with the possibility of a full international debut still to come.
Sporting director Jez George believes the extension reflects both Ivan’s progress and the club’s longer-term ambitions.
“This is great news for us in extending the contract for one of our outstanding young players and another example of us continuing to build for the future. Ivan has been on a huge upward trajectory across this calendar year, having spent his first four months settling in and adapting to the demands of English football.
“As expected, after making such a significant contribution to our success in the second half of last season, Ivan has made a seamless progression into the Championship and thoroughly deserves his senior international call up. This is a great source of pride to Ivan and everyone associated with Lincoln City Football Club.
“With the ongoing conflict and Ivan’s parents back in Ukraine, there is added significance for Ivan and his family in him representing Ukraine at any level but especially the senior team. We are delighted for Ivan and I am sure all Imps fans will watch avidly what we hope will be a full debut for Ukraine before he returns to Lincoln after the international break.”
There was plenty of excitement when Ivan arrived as our record signing, but his first few months were a reminder that a significant fee does not remove the need for patience. Tom Bayliss and Conor McGrandles were established in midfield, and there was no requirement to throw a young player straight into the league side while he adjusted to a new country and a different style of football.
There were glimpses of his quality well before he became a regular, most memorably against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. Ivan seized on a loose ball from Enzo Fernandez and supplied Rob Street for our opener, making his mark against opposition that provided a considerable test of his ability.
His more sustained opportunity came after Bayliss was injured at Stockport, and he became an important part of the side during the second half of the season. The goal against Northampton and his assist at Barnsley offered the more obvious highlights, but his work alongside McGrandles helped explain why he became such a popular figure at Sincil Bank.
Promotion brought another test for Ivan, who has continued to earn his place under Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw with eight Championship appearances this season. His first senior Ukraine call-up offers further recognition of that progress, adding to a year in which he has already helped us reach the second tier and been named our Young Player of the Season.
For us, this is excellent news because it rewards a player who has delivered while strengthening the club’s position for the years ahead. We made a substantial investment in Ivan before most supporters knew much about him, gave him time to find his feet and are now seeing the benefits. Extending his deal until 2030 gives us every chance to keep building on that progress.
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