West Ham United could now sign Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic for £13m in the January transfer window, according to a new report.
The Lowdown: West Ham's Lukic pursuit
It was reported towards the end of December that West Ham were one of the clubs showing an interest in Lukic, alongside the likes of Napoli, Leicester City and Roma.
There is current concern at the club surrounding the future of Declan Rice, who is yet to commit to a new deal at the London Stadium beyond 2024, when his current deal is due to expire.
As such, the Serbian is now emerging as an option as a potential long-term replacement, with the Italian media providing a new update...
The Latest: Vlasic swap deal?
As per TuttoMercatoWeb, the 26-year-old could join the Hammers for £13m this January, with a potential swap deal being talked up by the Italian outlet.
It is claimed that Nikola Vlasic, who is currently on loan at Torino, could go the other way permanently for the same amount, after impressing for the Italian club this season.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-uodates/" title="West Ham latest updates!" poster="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-david-moyes-premier-league-scaled-1.jpg" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
The Verdict: Get it done?
Akin to Rice, Lukic particularly flourishes in his passing abilities, registering an average pass completion rate of 86.4% per 90 over the past year, not too far shy of the 90.5% average from the current West Ham man in the same timeframe.
Lauded as 'outstanding' by journalist Josh Bunting for his abilities in protecting the Turin club's back three, the 26-year-old is ranked as the third-best performer in his squad in the Serie A this term, with an average match rating of 6.95.
The former Partizan man would be a welcome addition in the middle of the park, clearly capable of fulfilling similar duties to Rice, and given the swap deal that is now an option, it would be a cheap deal for David Moyes.