West Ham United are in a challenging fight to retain their Premier League status with only two games remaining.
The Hammers are two points adrift of safety, facing Newcastle United and Leeds United in their battle with Tottenham Hotspur to secure survival.
Despite the summer transfer window rapidly approaching, the relegation run-in will be at the forefront of the club’s mind over the coming weeks, as their fate will depend heavily on how they recruit moving forward.
In January, the East Londoners were active in the transfer market, securing the signings of Pablo, Adama Traore, Axel Disasi and Taty Castellanos in the hope that they could lift them out of danger.
Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether enough was done to stop West Ham from falling into the Championship, but that hasn’t stopped summer recruitment rumours from gathering pace.
According to Italian news outlet Corriere Dello Sport, West Ham United are one of the clubs interested in signing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbian star – once hailed as “lightning” by BBC Sport pundit Micah Richards – has been a long-term target for the Hammers and will become a free agent in the summer.
The publication claims that they will face competition from Manchester United and Bayern Munich, which would make them outsiders in their bid to secure his signature.
Will West Ham sign Dusan Vlahovic?
It has been heavily reported in recent years that West Ham have been trying to sign Vlahovic, including during the most recent January window.
The fact that he finally becomes a free agent when the Irons are in such a volatile position will be frustrating for fans, as there is no doubt that they could afford his wages and offer him regular first-team football, unlike their competitors.
Despite the financial and game-time aspects being no issue, they can’t hide from their struggles in the Premier League and it would be unlikely that he would join the club in the Championship, considering Manchester United and Bayern Munich are involved.
Having said that, if West Ham fight to retain their Premier League status, there could be an opportunity to sign Vlahovic and make him their star striker.
Manchester United and Bayern both have strong options in their forward line, meaning Vlahovic would likely be part of a rotation system, so from that perspective it could work in the Hammers’ favour, should they stay up.
With all things considered, the next fortnight could shape the immediate future of West Ham both on and off the pitch.
Retaining their Premier League status would not only preserve the club’s financial strength and attraction in the transfer market, but could also open the door to ambitious signings such as Dusan Vlahovic.
However, failure to survive would completely alter the trajectory of the club heading into next season, making it difficult to compete with Europe’s elite for top-level talent.
For now, West Ham’s focus must remain solely on survival, because their future plans may ultimately depend on which league they are playing in come August.
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