West Ham United attacker Nikola Vlasic is "keen" to complete a switch to Torino this summer with the Serie A side and Hammers "in talks", according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
Who will leave West Ham?
After the British record sale of star midfielder Declan Rice, who has now joined Arsenal to the tune of £105 million (including £5m in add-ons), further sales haven't been entirely ruled out.
David Moyes has a gaping hole to fill left by Rice's departure, and even though West Ham are set for a mega financial windfall from his exit, the Irons could still benefit from shifting some deadwood.
One player who could fit that category is Vlasic, as the former Everton forward has found life very difficult in east London since he joined from CSKA Moscow in 2021.
Despite starring in the Russian Premier League, Moyes didn't quite hand Vlasic that many opportunities to replicate that form in his debut season.
Thereafter, he joined Torino on a season-long loan deal last summer, where he managed to start 29 Serie A matches and made 34 league appearances for them overall.
The Italian side now want to take him permanently after a solid campaign, something which Vlasic himself is more than open too.
However, West Ham rejected Torino's "opening proposal" of £8 million plus add ons, with both sides apparently still in negotiations to complete the deal.
That's according to The Express' reporter Taylor, who shared this information on Twitter midweek.
"West Ham remain in talks with Torino over sale of Nikola Vlašić – signed from CSKA for £25.7m," wrote Taylor.
"While €13m buy-option has now expired, Italian side want deal done & Croatian winger keen to complete move. Understand latest Torino proposal worth £8m plus add-ons. Not enough."
How good is Nikola Vlasic?
On his day, Vlasic can prove a very capable asset in the final third, but it just hasn't happened for him at West Ham so far.
The 25-year-old bagged five goals and six assists over his Torino loan spell last season, averaging more key passes per 90 than any other player in their squad (WhoScored).
As well as this, only Antonio Sanabria and Nemanja Radonjic averaged a higher rate of attempts at goal per 90 – highlighting the true threat Vlasic can pose when at his best (WhoScored).
Moyes has even praised the player's "first class" attitude behind-the-scenes previously.
"We've been really impressed by Niko. His attitude as a professional is first-class," said Moyes in 2021.
"We like him. We watched him a lot at CSKA Moscow and in the Euros. We see a young player still developing, but one who already has a lot of experience and caps for Croatia.
"He can play several roles for us which is important, but we also want to give him the chance to adapt and adjust. He's only been really impressive since he's been at the club and we're really hopeful that he'll turn into a really good player for us."
While Moyes hopeful prediction from back then hasn't quite come to fruition, Vlasic could be a useful player for most sides.
