West Ham United's Nikola Vlasic applauds the fans after the match against Rangers
West Ham United could finally be set to lose Croatia international Nikola Vlasic permanently, with the winger thriving on loan at Torino.
The Lowdown: Unwanted by Moyes
Vlasic was shipped out on loan to Torino in the summer, having failed to make his mark at the London Stadium after arriving for an initial £26.8m in August 2021.
The deal includes an option to make the transfer permanent, with West Ham manager David Moyes unimpressed by a tally of one goal and zero assists in 19 Premier League outings last season, and willing to cut his losses on the Croatia international.
The Latest: Torino deal finally close
After months of haggling over the permanent fee, insiders Claret & Hugh expect it will still be somewhere in the region of £12.7m, although there may be some more negotiation to reduce that number.
The Serie A side are said to be very keen to tie him down on a deal for years to come and a deal is ‘finally closing in’.
The Verdict: Right for all parties
It is undoubtedly the right decision to let the 25-year-old leave the club, as he simply was not suited to Moyes’ side, and has been faring much better in Italy.
The playmaker, once lauded as “fantastic” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has registered six goal contributions in 15 league outings, achieving the highest average SofaScore rating of any Torino player in the process.
Not only that, but he has featured three times for Croatia en-route to them reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup, keeping his cool to slot home a penalty in the shootout victory against Japan.
The performances that Vlasic has been putting in for both club and country could put West Ham in a stronger negotiating position in January, but it seems they’re very close to just cutting their losses.
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