Leeds are attempting to sign alleged West Ham target Ruslan Malinovskyi from Atalanta, according to a report from the Telegraph.
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According to a report from Sportal earlier this year, Hammers boss David Moyes wants to bring the 27-year-old midfielder to the London Stadium.
It could be argued that West Ham need more bodies in their midfield department. Mark Noble is ageing and well past his best. And despite the recent emergence of Josh Cullen, we do seem to be rather short in central midfield.
But it now seems that the Hammers could face competition from Leeds for Ruslan Malinovskyi, with Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa allegedly eyeing a move to bring the Ukraine international to Elland Road.
Malinovskyi joined Atalanta last summer for around €14 million (£12.8 million), according to Calcio Mercato.
Stats
The 29-capped Ukraine international racked up eight goals and three assists in 34 league games for the Serie A outfit last season (Who Scored).
In those 34 Serie A appearances, Malinovskyi averaged 26.3 passes per game with a very impressive completion rate of 82.5%. He also averaged 1.4 key passes per game during those outings (Who Scored).
The 27-year-old is a truly top class midfield player.
He would undoubtedly thrive at either Leeds or West Ham.
But as things stand, the Whites seem to be in a far stronger position to sign the Atalanta ace than the Hammers are.