According to reports by Football Insider, West Ham have made an approach for Rubin Kazan attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ahead of the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Rising star in the Russian league
Kvaratskhelia signed for the Russian outfit in the summer of 2019 on a free transfer. Since his arrival, the 20-year-old has made 68 appearances for the club, producing eight goals and 16 assists during this time. Furthermore, the Georgia international has already made 12 appearances for his country, scoring on five occasions.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
Kvaratskhelia has illustrated his creative flair in the final third, demonstrated by how he leads his club in terms of taking on opponents, completing a fantastic 2.7 dribbles per game on average, more than double that of the next-best Rubin player for this metric.
The Latest: West Ham have made an approach for Kvaratskhelia
According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham have made an approach for the Georgian attacker, having enquired ahead of the January window.
Fellow Premier League clubs Everton and Southampton are also targeting him, but it has been reported that the Hammers have made the first approach by asking what it would take to secure Kvaratskhelia’s signature.
It is believed that the Russian side would accept a bid of around £13m for the 20-year-old.
The Verdict: A versatile youngster set to impress
Whilst calls have been made to bring in a striker to rival the club’s top scorer Michail Antonio, it is reported that David Moyes could look for a more versatile option who can play anywhere across the front line.
Kvaratskhelia, who can play on both flanks, fits this description perfectly. At 20, the Georgian has already conjured up vast interest from a variety of clubs from the top European leagues, including Italian giants Juventus.
With his dribbling ability having been outlined as very strong, and boasting a solid goal return at international level, the youngster could prove to be a fantastic addition to the Hammers’ front line. However, it will be interesting to see whether Moyes simply decides to bring in an orthodox centre-forward instead.
In other news: ‘Never say never’ – Journalist refuses to rule out West Ham signing 116-cap forward next month
