Everton are reportedly battling with West Ham United over a deal to sign AS Roma forward Artem Dovbyk, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
After joining Girona from the Ukrainian side SC Dnipro-1 a couple of years ago, the 28-year-old displayed impressive performances in La Liga, scoring 24 goals and registering 10 assists across all competitions.
He was the highest scorer in the Spanish top flight in his debut campaign, guiding his side to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top four.
Having been impressed by the Ukrainian, Roma purchased him last year. He showed glimpses of his qualities in the Italian capital under Claudio Ranieri last term, making 20 goal contributions in all tournaments. He even helped his side qualify for the Europa League.
However, he has found it difficult to break into new manager Gian Piero Gasperini’s starting line-up this season, making only six starts. Dovbyk has even been sidelined due to an injury problem over the last few weeks.
Now, Fichajes state that Gasperini doesn’t see Dovbyk having a long-term future at the French capital, so Roma are prepared to cash-in on him next year.
West Ham want a new striker next month and are ‘seriously considering’ signing the Roma star by taking advantage of his current situation. They have even held talks to learn about the details of signing him.
Battle
However, purchasing the forward won’t be straightforward for the East London club as Everton and Sunderland are also keen on him and have made contact to seal the deal.
West Ham are looking to revamp the frontline in January, with the club close to selling Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan. Other than the German, the Hammers currently have Callum Wilson as the only specialist centre-forward option.
On the other hand, Everton have Thierno Barry and Beto as striker options. However, the duo have struggled to showcase their best in the Premier League thus far this season.
Dovbyk, valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt, is a physically strong old-fashioned striker and could be a shrewd acquisition for West Ham or Everton should either club eventually manage to secure his service in January.
