Ivan Juric, the manager of Torino, has expressed his desire to sign West Ham’s Nikola Vlasic on a permanent basis this summer.
Vlasic has had a reasonably successful loan spell in Serie A this season, having struggled to make an impact at the London Stadium. With little prospect of a future at West Ham, the 25-year-old will undoubtedly be delighted to have Juric’s support. Vlasic began his career at his hometown club Hadjuk Split, where he was regarded as one of Croatia’s most promising young talents.
After impressing against Everton in the Europa League, he joined the Toffees in 2017. However, he failed to establish himself in the team after the sacking of the manager who brought him in, Ronald Koeman.
After scoring 33 goals in 108 appearances for CSKA Moscow, Vlasic was bought by West Ham for £25m in 2021 but failed to impress, scoring only once in 31 appearances. As a result, West Ham loaned Vlasic to Torino, where he has improved, with four goals and two assists so far. Juric, the Torino manager, wants to keep Vlasic and Aleksei Miranchuk beyond this season, stating that working with players for a year often leads to improvement in the following season. Torino can purchase Vlasic permanently for €15m (£13.1m) at the end of the season.
If they exercise this option, the money could be useful for West Ham in rebuilding their squad, as they are currently in danger of relegation. Club captain Declan Rice is also rumored to leave for a hefty price tag of £100m, with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all interested. If West Ham continues to struggle, Moyes’s future as manager may be in jeopardy, and their squad will likely look different next season. It seems almost certain that Vlasic will be leaving West Ham in the summer.