West Ham United have reportedly expressed their interest in signing Olympique Lyonnais star Georges Mikautadze, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The 24-year-old attracted a lot of attention after displaying promising performances in the European Championship for Georgia last summer, scoring three goals and notching up a solitary assist in four appearances.
Having been impressed by his displays, Lyon decided to sign him and upon moving to Groupama Stadium, Mikautadze has been playing as a rotational player, making five goal contributions in six starts in all competitions.
He started for Lyon in their Europa League fixture against Qarabag in midweek and helped his side win the game 4-1 by scoring a brace.
Now, Fichajes state that West Ham are interested in Mikautadze and they could formalise their interest next year. Lyon have found themselves in financial difficulties so they will have to balance the books by selling some of their stars with the Georgian on the chopping block.
Mikautadze to West Ham
The forward, valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt, still has a contract until 2028 with Lyon so they are likely to demand a sizable amount of money to let him leave the club.
West Ham have an ageing frontline and they need to freshen it up. Niclas Fullkrug joined the club from Borussia Dortmund last summer but he has been struggling with injury problems.
On the other hand, Michail Antonio has been the first-choice striker for the Hammers over the years and it remains the same this season. But, he has never been a prolific goal-scorer and is set to turn 35 next year, additionally, his existing deal will expire at the end of this season.
Danny Ings is also at Julen Lopetegui’s disposal and is also in a similar contractual situation as Antonio so he is likely to leave the club next summer.
Mikautadze is a talented player and it is going to be interesting to see whether West Ham eventually make a concrete approach to secure his service to reinforce the frontline.
Meanwhile, following an impressive 2-0 victory over Newcastle United, Lopetegui’s side will face off against Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend.
