Turning down a multi-million pound move to China during the January transfer window in order to stay and help Fiorentina fight for a European spot, Nikola Kalinic could be subject to a lot of attention from the Premier League in the summer.
According to Il Messaggero in Italy, the Croatian striker, expected to go for less than €30m, is of interest to both Everton and West Ham, two clubs who will undoubtedly be looking for a prolific striker in the summer.
Having scored 14 goals in 27 league appearances this season, the 29-year-old could be a good replacement for the exiting Belgian, but the Serie A club might not be too keen on seeing him leave.
As for West Ham, their interest in Kalinic has been well documented over the past few months, with Slaven Bilic keen to add one or two prolific strikers to his squad after the failures that were Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri.
Having already played under the Croatian manager for his national team, the Fiorentina star will know what to expect from the West Ham man were he to choose to join the Hammers in the summer.
A bonus for both sides is that Kalinic, having already played in England with Blackburn Rovers, already has Premier League experience, and while his time in Lancashire wasn’t exactly fantastic, he has grown as a footballer since.
However, the player is said to, if possible, want to continue his adventure in Italy, with both Napoli and AC Milan reportedly interested.
Il Messaggero explain the player’s agent was spotted in England last week without explaining as to why, but with so much interest in his client, it’s relatively easy to guess the reason.
This is certainly one to look out for as the summer approaches.
