West Ham United could revive £43m Ruslan Malinovskyi in January
West Ham United could resurrect their pursuit of Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi in January, according to Calcio Mercato.
The 29-year-old was on the Irons’ radar in the summer but the Bergamo manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, refused any offer for him, asking for a transfer fee of £43million.
But the boss’ relationship with the Ukrainian international is thought to be very strained which may open the door for him to leave the Serie A side.
Along with West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Marseille are thought to be in the hunt for his signature when the transfer window reopens on 1 January but that is still dependent on if his relationship with Gasperini heals itself.
Malinovskyi is yet to play a full 90 minutes for Atalanta this season but he did score a vital goal to earn a draw at home to AC Milan back in August.
Big money
After the Hammers parted with the best part of £170million over the summer, David Moyes might not be in a position where he can spend another £43million on Malinovskyi.
The Ukrainian might be able to force a smaller transfer fee if he is adamant about leaving the club as soon as possible but it will still be a large amount to pay regardless.
West Ham can’t afford to splash even more cash after such a busy summer of movement unless they end up making an enormous sale of one of their star players before then.
That is the last thing he will want to happen though with Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen, the two most likely to be targets for the biggest clubs, so key to Moyes’ team right now.
And at 29 years of age, Malinovskyi does not have a great deal of time left at his best and for the price they would have to pay, you have to think that there are better value options available.