West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko has emerged as the latest target for Turkish giants Trabzonspor.
According to Fanatik, Trabzonspor have set their sights on Andriy Yarmolenko. The West Ham attacker is facing an uncertain future in London, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season. His deal is unlikely to be renewed, which has put the Turkish club on red alert.
Sitting at the top of the Super Lig table, Trabzonspor are desperate to sign a new winger in the upcoming January transfer as they look to replace Gervinho. The former Arsenal star has picked up an ACL injury, which could hurt the club’s chances to secure the league title this season.
Hence, Trabzonspor do not want to leave any stones unturned in their quest to sign an ideal replacement for Gervinho. Two of their main targets are Edin Visca and Cristian Tello, with both being favoured heavily by coach Abdullah Avci. But lately, the club have identified Yarmolenko as the third option and by far the cheapest one due to his contract situation at West Ham.
Formerly of Dynamo Kyiv and Borussia Dortmund, Yarmolenko has been a part of the West Ham side since 2018. However, the Ukrainian international has never really lived up to the expectations in England, often struggling with form, fitness or lack of game-time.
The explosive winger notably failed to even muster 1,000 minutes of league football in his debut campaign. He managed to conjure up only 362 minutes in the following campaign while featuring in just 33 minutes in the new season, despite his seven league appearances.
It appears the 32-year-old has fallen behind the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals in the pecking order. And with his contract expiring at the end of the season, a move away from London Stadium does make sense, not just for the player but the club as well.
The Hammers are indeed unlikely to be fazed by the Ukrainian’s departure, having found their rhythm under David Moyes lately. In fact, Yarmolenko’s potential departure could free up some valuable space in their wage bill, thus allowing the club to fund moves for top January targets like Jesse Lingard.
In addition to the Manchester United starlet, West Ham are also in the market for Norwich City’s Todd Cantwell, so it will be interesting to see whether Yarmolenko’s potential exit could create a domino situation at the club this January.
