West Ham have reportedly reignited their interest to sign Shakhtar Donetsk superstar Mykola Matviyenko, with Brighton & Hove Albion fighting hard to bring the defender to the Premier League this January.
According to 90min, the Hammers have re-entered the race to sign the Ukrainian ‘gem’, with Shakhtar believed to be open to selling one of their star players in the final week of the winter window, though David Moyes side will face some competition from the likes of Brentford and Brighton.
Yet it is the latter who could prove to be West Ham’s hardest test in trying to sign Matviyenko, with Seagulls manager Roberto De Zerbi a former coach at Shakhtar and a figure who has played a huge role in the 26-year-old’s development as a player.
With a valuation of £20m according to the Athletic, Matviyenko won’t be a cheap signing for either Premier League club, and with Brighton already having the De Zerbi factor, there’s a good chance that West Ham’s English rivals could now win the race to land the UEFA Champions League star.
Indeed, with just under a week of the transfer window left, West Ham will have to work fast if they’re to beat Brighton to Matviyenko’s signature. Yet given how well the Seagulls have performed this season under De Zerbi, there’s a strong chance that the Irons will miss out on the Ukrainian international.
Moreover, with West Ham already signing a big-name player this month in Danny Ings, there might not be enough to meet Shaktar’s asking price for Matviyenko, with a cheaper option likely what the Irons will look to target in the last few days of the winter window.
West Ham signing Matviyenko ahead of Brighton feels like a stretch
Matviyenko has been linked with a move to Brighton for the majority of the window, and with Shakhtar softening their stance on selling the defender, it feels more than likely that the centre-back will be heading off to the Amex Stadium despite interest from West Ham in recent days.
After all, Brighton are a club who are showing real promise this season despite West Ham’s progress in the last two seasons under Moyes, and for Matviyenko, the chance to reunite with De Zerbi will be a tempting one given how important the Italian has been to the defender in his career.