Manuel Pellegrini Reportedly Eyeing Surprise Move for Former Arsenal Forward Gervinho

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has expressed a desire to sign Parma winger Gervinho, but the Italian outfit are not keen on making a deal.

Summer signing Andriy Yarmolenko suffered a severe Achilles injury against Spurs a fortnight ago which will likely see him sidelined for the remainder of the season. According to reports from Calciomercato, this has sparked interest from Pellegrini in signing his former colleague.

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The Italian manager already worked with Gervinho during their time in China and is interested in bringing the Ivorian back to England for a second stint in the Premier League. However, according to the Calciomercato report, the transfer has "no chance" of happening.

The ex-Arsenal man moved to Parma from Chinese outfit Hebei China Fortune on a free transfer last summer. Since joining, Gervinho is the top scorer for the newly promoted side, scoring three times in ten games, including a one against league leaders Juventus.

Having spent almost £100m last summer, West Ham are looking to bolster their ranks even further in the January window, not least due to Yarmolenko's injury. Following a substandard start to the season, West Ham currently sit 13th in the league, having won only two games. Goals have also been few and far between for the east London side, as only four teams have scored fewer goals in the Premier League this year.

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However, Parma appear insistent on preventing any deal being struck for their leading marksman, meaning Pellegrini and West Ham will have to look elsewhere to reinforce their attacking unit. 

With Gervinho having scored just nine goals in his 46 appearances for Arsenal, West Ham fans could be relieved the deal looks unlikely to happen and will be left wondering just how much more Pellegrini wants to invest in his underperforming squad.