West Ham United and Arsenal are both interested in recruiting the services of Dinamo Zagreb centre-back Josip Sutalo this summer, according to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb.
However, the Premier League duo face fierce competition for the signature of the Croatian international, with Fiorentina, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig all keeping tabs on him.
Interested suitors may need to wait until late August before getting a chance to sign Sutalo, as Dinamo want to hold on to him through their qualifying fixtures for the group stage of the Champions League.
West Ham are yet to bolster their squad this summer, but they have cash available after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Manager David Moyes is looking to get it right this time around after last summer’s outlay of £165 million on eight players failed to produce the desired results.
The Hammers shipped 55 goals in the Premier League last term, finishing 14th in the table and six points off the relegation place.
Adding Sutalo to their backline would come in handy given his quality and experience, but pipping Arsenal and co to his signature could be tricky.
The Gunners are looking to challenge for the Premier League title and are playing in the Champions League next term, which could be attractive to the 23-year-old given he has featured in the elite Europe competition since 2021.
Napoli, Leverkusen and Leipzig are also offering European football, but the reigning Serie A champions could have a trump card in the race to sign Sutalo.
They are eager to improve their defence after losing Kim Min-jae to Bayern Munich, and he could be open to the move as he would be guaranteed a place in the starting XI.
Arsenal are well-stocked at centre-back at the moment, with four players available for the two positions.
Most of their current full-backs can also feature centrally if needed, so the Croatian could reject a move to London in favour of a club where he can play regularly.
