Torino manager Ivan Juric has confirmed he wants the club to buy West Ham attacker Nikola Vlasic permanently this summer.
The Croatia international has enjoyed a fairly successful loan spell in Serie A this season, after failing to make any real impact for the Hammers.
Vlasic will no doubt be pleased to have the backing of Juric, with the player unlikely to have a future at the London Stadium.
The 25-year-old began his career at his hometown club Hadjuk Split, where he was considered one of Croatia’s most promising upcoming talents.
The attacker then joined Everton in 2017 after dazzling against them in the Europa League.
However, he failed to play consistently after Ronald Koeman, who brought him in, was sacked shortly after his arrival.
Vlasic was then sent out on loan to CSKA Moscow, where he scored an impressive 33 goals in 108 appearances over two years.
On the back of that success, West Ham signed him on a £25m deal from CSKA Moscow in 2021 but failed to make a big impact – making 31 appearances and scoring only one goal in total.
As a result, the London club opted to send Vlasic out on loan to Torino at the beginning of the current campaign, where his form has improved – netting four times and making two assists so far.
Torino boss Juric has now announced that he would like to keep the West Ham man beyond this season, along with fellow loanee Aleksei Miranchuk.
“I prefer having as many players as possible with whom I’ve worked,” Juric said, as per Football Italia.
“When you work with them for a year, they often tend to improve in the following season. The more players we confirm, the better.”
Torino have the option to buy Vlasic permanently at the end of the season for €15m (approx. £13.1m), so will have to put their money where their mouth is to get a deal over the line.
With West Ham currently in danger of relegation, this money could potentially come in handy if they are forced to rebuild their squad for the Championship.
Another player who is being heavily linked with a departure is club captain Declan Rice, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in the England international – who has a price tag of £100m.
The Hammers currently find themselves 15th place in the Premier League table and are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
If they continue on their current run of form, Moyes is unlikely to be around much longer and their squad is likely to look very different next season.
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