Hoffenheim are attempting to take advantage of the managerial change at West Ham by securing an €8 million move for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Taras Stepanenko in January, sources have told ESPN FC.
Prior to his dismissal as Hammers manager earlier this month, Slaven Bilic had been working on a deal to sign the defensive midfielder from the Ukrainian champions.
Stepanenko, capped 37 times by Ukraine, has been monitored during Shakhtar's Champions League campaign by several Premier League and Bundesliga clubs this season, with West Ham having been the leading candidates to sign the 28-year-old during the January transfer window.