Dean White

Sun 20 June 2021 18:40, UK

West Ham want to sign Ukraine striker Roman Yaremchuk from Gent this summer, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti.

Writing on his personal Twitter account on Sunday, the Italian journalist, who regularly appears on Il Pallone Gonfiato, reported that Gent would be willing to sell Yaremchuk, 25, for around £17.1million.

Galetti, who’s also an expert on AC Milan, added that the San Siro club might also come calling for the Ukraine international.

Bit of a boost?

Yaremchuk has not been able to stop scoring for both Gent and Ukraine this season with the striker netting 23 times in all competitions the Belgian club in 43 appearances across all competitions.

The former Dynamo Kyiv ace has also scored two in two matches for Ukraine at the European Championships, striking against both the Netherlands and North Macedonia. As it stands, he’s third in the race for the Golden Boot award.

Interest in Yaremchuk is therefore expected and as the Irons need a new centre-forward this summer, it’s no shock to see him linked with the London Stadium – especially with Andriy Yarmolenko striking a chord alongside him with Ukraine.

Italian news outlet CalcioMercato (yes, there seems to be a lot of updates on Yaremchuk’s future from Italy) reported earlier this week the Hammers are prepared to pay between £21.4million and £25.7million for the Gent striker.

However, Galetti’s update on Twitter this weekend suggests the Belgian club could settle for far less at £17.1million.

Yaremchuk looks like a good striker but we’d still prefer a striker who is proven in the Premier League.

We don’t mean any disrespect to the leagues in Belgium and Ukraine but they are hardly the strongest in Europe.

Yaremchuk could find it difficult to adapt but then again, we’d signed strikers from top leagues in Europe over the years and they’ve struggled in East London.

If Gent do sell Yaremchuk for £17.1million, he could be worth a punt.

In other West Ham news, an English striker wanted by the Irons is up for grabs for just £8million now.

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