David Moyes is likely to be busy in the January transfer window as he looks to keep West Ham in the Premier League.
German Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim are confident they can win the race to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Taras Stepanenko ahead of West Ham United, according to ESPN.
The report states prior to Slaven Bilic’s sacking, the Croatian had been working on a deal to bring 28-year-old midfielder Stepanenko to the London Stadium with the Hammers considered favourites to land the tough-tackling ace.
It is believed that numerous Premier League and Bundesliga sides have been monitoring the Ukraine international’s progress, but now Hoffenheim are confident of landing his signature ahead of the chasing pack.
Their confidence stems from West Ham’s recent change in managers, with Bilic replaced by former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes. ESPN claim the arrival of the latter has sparked doubts over the club’s interest in the 37-time international.
A five-time Ukrainian Premier League champion, Stepanenko has continued to remain a mainstay of the Shakhtar side throughout the 2017-18 season, making 20 appearances in all competitions including last night’s 3-0 loss in the Champions League to Napoli.
It remains to be seen how much any interested parties would have to pay for the defensive midfielder, as Shakhtar’s number six has a contract with the Ukraine giants until the summer of 2022.
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