One of the great West Ham United transfer mysteries heading into the summer window is whether Nikola Vlasic will return from his loan at Torino, which Torino Granata look at this week.
The Croatian playmaker was sent to the Serie A club at the beginning of the season with a €15m option to buy, which looked like a great deal after a few games.
The West Ham man started the season in great fashion, and went into the World Cup with his country in-form, only to suffer a reality check in the second half of the campaign.
Fatigue led to some injuries, but he’s now back and trying to finish the footballing year off in style, which he will be hoping will lead to a definitive transfer.
The problem he faces is that Torino have a lot of players in a similar situation to him, and might not have the money to keep them all.
That’s why the words of the director of football, Davide Vagnati, at the weekend were interesting, as he was asked, relayed by Torino Granata, whether the club had made their decisions about the options to buy they will trigger.
He said: “We have an idea of who to redeem, but these last few games will surely give us some answers.”
Now, for West Ham fans worrying, it’s worth pointing out that Ivan Juric, the manager, loves Vlasic, and will be one of his strong voices in Turin urging the deal to go through.
Whether that’s enough remains to be seen, but considering his impact and the manager being behind him, there is some hope there that the Croatian will be among those kept.
