CSL Club Shandong Luneng Interested in West Ham Winger Andriy Yarmolenko

Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng have expressed an interest in West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko.

Injuries have ravaged Yarmolenko's time in east London since signing in July 2018, but he enjoyed an upturn in form following football's restart and scored a late winner against Chelsea in July.

West Ham must sell players in order to generate funds to sign new ones, however, and Sky Sports report that Shandong Luneng have identified the Ukrainian as a transfer target.

No offer has been submitted as of yet, but the Chinese club are keen on bringing Yarmolenko to Asia before the transfer window closes on 5 October. Should West Ham and Shandong Luneng strike a deal, Yarmolenko would follow in the footsteps of former Hammers forward Marko Arnautovic, who swapped the Hammers for Shanghai SIPG in July 2019.

He also wouldn't be the first high-profile Premier League name to head to Shandong Luneng; Marouane Fellaini joined the club from Manchester United in January 2019 and has since made 43 appearances for the club.

Head coach David Moyes wouldn't want to sell a player such as Yarmolenko without being able to source a replacement, but with the Hammers in a difficult position with regards to transfers, it might well be a risk that they have to take if they wish to bring in new faces.

In an attempt to raise funds elsewhere, West Ham are trying to negotiate a deal with Jack Wilshere that would see his contract terminated prematurely. Wilshere, still only 28, has seen his entire senior career hampered by injuries.

Getting him off the wage bill would likely free up funds that could be reinvested in the transfer market, but the club would still need to offload more players in order for Moyes to properly enjoy some spending in the market.

Yarmolenko cost West Ham a fee of around £18m and managed five goals and one assist from 23 appearances last season.