West Ham United are reportedly set to sign longstanding Everton target Andriy Yarmolenko.
West Ham are poised to sign Ukraine winger and former Everton target Andriy Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund for £17.5million according to the London Evening Standard.
The 28-year-old was wanted by Everton back in 2016 – as reported at the time by the likes of the Liverpool Echo – and he joined from Dynamo Kiev last summer but struggled to find his top form in the Bundesliga and now looks set for West Ham.
Sky Sports claims Yarmolenko arrived at West Ham’s Swiss training camp on Monday after agreeing personal terms and passing the first part of his medical.
The signing of Yarmolenko – who scored 137 goals in 341 games for Dynamo Kyiv before moving to Germany – would be something of a coup for the Hammers who have already signed Ryan Fredericks, Jack Wilshere, Issa Diop and Lukas Fabianski since Manuel Pellegrini’s arrival this summer.
Meanwhile Everton boss Marco Silva is yet to bring any players in with just over a month to go before the transfer window slams shut and amid reports in the likes of The Guardian the Toffees must sell to buy.
West Ham would also be getting one up on Everton – who stole a march on them to sign Henry Onyekuru last summer – after the Merserysiders’ failed attempts to land the player back in 2016.
Former Everton hero Andrei Kanchelskis wrote in his autobiography ‘Russian Winters’ about Yarmolenko’s failed Toffees move: “Andrei Yarmolenko could and should have gone from Kiev to Everton in the summer of 2016 but the price kept changing,” as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
“Everton were quoted £20m for the forward and then it became £25m and, eventually, the deal didn’t happen. I joked to myself that the directors of Dynamo Kiev must be losing an awful lot of money in the casinos (and had to make up for their losses with the transfer fee).”
At just £17.5 million and with a good three or four years of top level football left in him Everton will surely regret not rivalling the Hammers for Yarmolenko, particularly since raising some money from the sale of Wayne Rooney.
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