Andriy Yarmolenko is due in Switzerland for a medical with West Ham tomorrow as his transfer inches closer, according to Ukrainian site Zbirna.
They claim that while the player is still in Germany, the prospect of the deal going through is “great”.
They report that the player is set to jet out to the Swiss training camp to undergo a medical, although there are two potential speed bumps to overcome.
The first is a work permit, although this shouldn’t be a problem as he has played 76 games for his country.
The second is the price. Zbirna reports that West ham have offered £19.5million, rising to £22million with bonuses, whereas Borussia Dortmund want £22million up front with £24.7million in total with bonuses.
This scheduled medical comes hot on the heels of another for Jack Wilshere, which he reportedly passed on his way to confirming his free transfer.
OPINION
It looks like West Ham fans can start to get properly excited about this deal, despite seemingly premature reports of his medical today. The two potential hitches don’t sound like deal breakers – the two clubs are pretty close in terms of valuation and the work permit really shouldn’t pose a problem. Yarmolenko is a fully-fledged international powerhouse for Ukraine where he’s got an impressive record of 35 goals in 76 games. Hammers fans will be looking for him to bring his exciting brand of football – and that sort of goal-scoring record – to the London Stadium next season. Already the signs are that West Ham – despite the 3-2 friendly loss – are going to be a much more potent force in the Premier League next season. Manuel Pellegrini is the man driving all of the changes and to be fair to the board they’ve obviously listened to the fans and decided that they should give them what they want after last season’s discord. Hats off to them too and we really wouldn’t be surprised to see West Ham challenging for Europe next season, with goals from Yarmolenko a big force behind that push.
