West Ham United might be setting their sights on the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.
What’s the word?
That is according to a report from 90min, who state that scouts from more than half of the Premier League made the trip to Glasgow to watch the starlet in action for Ukraine, during the Nations League tie against Scotland.
As per the same piece, members of the recruitment departments from several Premier League sides were in attendance, with West Ham United being a notable mention.
A Champions League goalscorer
With the Hammers seemingly keeping tabs on the young Ukrainian, they are looking at a 21-year-old Champions League goalscorer, who has enjoyed a spectacular start to Shakhtar’s current European venture.
The winger currently has two goals and two assists to his name in two UCL appearances, with three of his attacking returns coming in a sensational 4-1 win over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, in which the number 10 wearing asset helped himself to a goal and two assists.
And just a game later, he built on that positive performance with a goal against Celtic.
But he failed to make an impact for Ukraine, as his side slumped to a 3-0 defeat in the Nations League on Wednesday – typical when the majority of scouts from the Premier League are in attendance.
Either way, Mudryk has compiled a decent amount of experience, having played in the Ukrainian Premier League since the age of 18.
Having had three seasons of failing to register any attacking returns, the 21-year-old found his feet last year, conjuring eight goal contributions in the form of two goals and six assists in just 11 appearances.
This could well be the season that Mudryk formally announces himself to the world footballing landscape, with the Hammers appearing to take note of his progress at this early stage.
This would be an ambitious move and indeed one to look out for in the future, but it will not be an easy deal to pull off, with Everton having had a bid of €30m (£26.2m) rejected in the summer transfer window just gone and several other top-flight clubs also keeping a close eye on his progress.