West Ham United are reportedly keen to seal a move for Fyodor Smolov before Real Madrid hijack them.
According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid are ready to rival West Ham United for the signature of Krasnodar striker Fyodor Smolov in 2018.
Smolov, 27, was going nowhere fast with Dinamo Moscow, hitting just four goals in 77 games before being sold to Krasnodar in 2015, following loan spells with Feyenoord, Anzhi Makhachkala and Ural Yekaterinburg.
Since that move, Smolov has excelled, smashing 48 goals in his first two seasons with the club, whilst he also has 10 goals in 15 outings this season as he continues to prove himself as a goal machine in Russia.
Unsurprisingly, his goalscoring exploits have not gone unnoticed, as the Daily Mail report that Real Madrid are joining West Ham in the race to sign the Krasnodar star in January.
It’s believed that Real want another striker to compete with Karim Benzema rather than relying on youngster Borja Mayoral, and they have been impressed enough with Smolov to make him a January target.
However, West Ham are keen to seal a deal – believed to be worth £15million – and are pressing to secure an agreement with Krasnodar before Real can step in and hijack their interest.
With Krasnodar set for a break after December 10th, they have time to find a replacement for Smolov, and West Ham will hope to use that time to seal a deal for Smolov and beat Real Madrid to the punch.
Beating the reigning Champions League winners would be quite the coup for West Ham, especially as they battle relegation, but David Moyes is desperate for another goal threat – and Smolov could fit the bill.
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