West Ham United

West Ham United

Premier League • England

West Ham star set for showdown David Moyes talks after Irons reject offer from Italian suitors

Nikola Vlasic, Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham

Nikola Vlasic, Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen celebrate West Ham goal

A West Ham player is poised to speak with David Moyes about his future after the club rejected an opening bid for him, according to reports.

While West Ham are yet to sign any new players, they have let two members of their senior squad go. Manuel Lanzini’s eight-year spell with the Irons has come to an end as they have allowed him to leave on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract.

And influential midfielder Declan Rice has followed Lanzini out of the London Stadium. He has joined Arsenal on a five-year contract after the Gunners paid West Ham a whopping £105million to sign him. The deal makes Rice the second most expensive Premier League signing of all time, narrowly behind £107m Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Croatian attacker Nikola Vlasic is another player who could join a new club this summer. West Ham spent an initial £26.8m when signing Vlasic from CSKA Moscow in August 2021. The transfer had the potential to be worth £34.5m depending on add-ons.

Vlasic, who can play as a central attacking midfielder or as a winger on either flank, failed to live up to expectations during his debut season at West Ham. He managed just one goal in 31 appearances.

Vlasic was resultantly loaned to Torino for the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign. He impressed in Italy, registering five goals and eight assists in 37 games.

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The 25-year-old is now back in east London, but it is unlikely he will be reintegrated into Moyes’ squad.

According to the latest reports emerging from Italy, Vlasic is eager to sign for Torino on a permanent basis as he enjoyed his first season there.

West Ham reject bid for wantaway player

Italian outlet Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) claim Torino have offered €9m (£7.7m) for Vlasic, whereas West Ham are demanding €13m (£11.1m) to sell.

Fellow Italian source La Stampa, as cited by Tuttomercatoweb, claim West Ham are holding out for €14m (£12m).

 

They add that Vlasic ‘wants to return’ to Torino and is becoming increasingly frustrated about West Ham preventing him from doing so.

He has organised ‘face-to-face’ talks with Moyes and senior West Ham officials to discover how he can leave the club. He will likely ask West Ham to lower their demands to allow him to depart.

Torino have asked the 51-cap international to keep them informed about these discussions, as it will impact whether they submit a new proposal or not.

If West Ham refuse to back down on their asking price, then Torino may have to admit defeat in the pursuit of Vlasic and watch him join another club.

Meanwhile, West Ham are reportedly rivalling Manchester United for what would be a game-changing signing.