West Ham and Tottenham ‘set to battle it out’ for Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi... but the Hammers are in pole position as Spurs will ONLY offer a loan deal for the Ukrainian midfielder despite Antonio Conte's pleas to spend big

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West Ham and Tottenham are both interested in signing Atalanta's Ukrainian midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi. 

The 29-year-old is said to be keen on a new challenge and the Premier League could be his next destination, according to reports in Italy from Calciomercato.com. 

Malinovskyi endured a difficult 2022, after being deeply affected by the Russian invasion of his homeland, and in February he revealed a message under his shirt after his goal against Olympiakos that read 'no war in Ukraine'. 

Ruslan Malinovskyi is said to be on interest to Premier League clubs West Ham and Tottenham 

There was also some speculation that he would depart Atalanta in the summer, but he stayed in Italy and had scored once in 14 appearances before the World Cup break. 

West Ham are said to have made a serious approach for the attacking midfielder and are now weighing up their options, before making a bid for the Ukraine international. 

They could face competition from Tottenham, who were linked with Malinovskyi in the summer, and could go back in for him this month. Although Spurs' interest is likely to be a loan deal, which Atalanta aren't as keen on. 

The Ukrainian has been vocal about the difficulties his faced watching his homeland being invaded by Russia in 2022 

French side Marseille are another club monitoring the situation, but like Spurs would only favour a loan deal for the Ukrainian - leaving the Hammers in pole position to land the player. 

The Hammers next move may depend on the future of boss David Moyes, with the Scottish boss under increased pressure at the London Stadium following the club's poor season. 

Moyes' side haven't won a Premier League game since the end of October and are currently in the midst of a five-match losing streak. With only goal difference preventing them from dropping into the bottom three. 

Tottenham meanwhile have their only issues following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa, with Antonio Conte hinting that his side squad needs consistent investment to compete at the top of the Premier League. 

David Moyes is under pressure at West Ham following a run of five Premier League defeats