Arsenal and West Ham United are gearing up for a summer battle as both clubs fight for Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukrainian international is likely to still be hurting from his country's failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, though it was not for the want of trying. Ukraine came within one game of securing their place in the tournament, before falling short in a final play-off away against Wales, and Zinchenko was arguably the best player on the pitch in both that match and the 3-1 win over Scotland four days previous.
But the 25-year-old, who has played his part during an illustrious chapter of City's history, again finished the season strongly for Pep Guardiola's side and was integral to their final day comeback against Aston Villa to seal another Premier League title.
Zinchenko has now won four Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, the FA Cup and Community Shield during his six years at City. He also started the Champions League final in May of last year losing 1-0 to Chelsea.
However, having been dislodged at left-back by Joao Cancelo, Zinchenko is now looking for greater first team opportunities elsewhere, while City are keeping tabs on Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella - a deal that would push Zinchenko further down the pecking order.
One aspect of a potential move to Arsenal that could prove tempting to Zinchenko is Mikel Arteta's willingness to play the Ukrainian in midfield. The Spaniard is familiar with Zinchenko's ability in the middle of the park from his time at the Etihad as Guardiola's assistant. But they are not the only side willing to play Zinchenko there, with West Ham also keen on his signature as David Moyes looks to further enhance his squad this summer.
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Zinchenko has come in for praise recently over the way he has conducted himself while his home country suffers at the hands of brutal Russian military aggression.
Speaking to BBC Sport about the war in March, Zinchenko said: "I'll be honest, if not for my daughter, my family, I would be there. I'm just born like that. I know the people from my country, the mentality of them, and all of them, they think exactly the same.
"I'm so proud to be Ukrainian, and I will be forever for the rest of my life. And when you're watching the people, how they fight for their lives. I know the people, the mentality of my people from my country, they prefer to die, and they will die. But they're not going to give [up]."
