Brighton & Hove Albion have reportedly moved ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal in the race to sign Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko.
After five successive games without a win, the Seagulls secured their first three points under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi last weekend when they beat Graham Potter's Chelsea 4-1 at the Amex Stadium.
De Zerbi has quickly implemented his attractive brand of football at Brighton and the Italian has three more games to prepare his side for before turning his attention to the January transfer window.
One player who is believed to be on Brighton's radar is Ukraine international Matviyenko, with The Athletic claiming that the Seagulls are 'determined' to sign the £17.2m-rated defender.
The report adds that a small number of players have been discussed internally by Brighton's hierarchy ahead of the winter window, with Matviyenko among the names under consideration.
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De Zerbi knows the left-sided centre-back well after spending just over a year in charge of Shakhtar before taking up his role on the South coast.
The 26-year-old is regarded as a key asset by Shakhtar and has already started 13 times in all competitions so far this season, including five appearances in the Champions League.
De Zerbi's connections with Matviyenko could be enough to persuade the defender to join Brighton, according to The Express, who claim that Man City and Arsenal have both been keeping tabs on the Ukrainian in recent years.
The Citizens are said to have been closely monitoring Matviyenko since Mikel Arteta was an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
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Arteta is now in charge at the Emirates Stadium and is said to still hold an interest in Matviyenko, although the defender is not thought to be at the top of the Gunners' list of priorities.
Arsenal have integrated William Saliba into their first-team plans this season, while Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and Rob Holding are also centre-back options at Arteta's disposal.
The potential addition of Matviyenko at Brighton may see De Zerbi's side opt against signing Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill on a permanent deal.
The 19-year-old defender has struggled to cement his place as a first-team regular since joining the club in the summer and has featured only three times across all competitions, including two substitute appearances in the Premier League.
The Express adds that Chelsea may have hoped to include Colwill in a transfer package for either Leandro Trossard or Moises Caicedo, who have both been linked with a big-money move to Stamford Bridge.
Oliver Thomas
