Mario Mandzukic has been touted for a move to West Ham United.
Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic applauds fans
West Ham United will be in the market for a new striker this summer – and former Besiktas Director of Football Onder Ozen has been quoted by Turkish Football as saying that Mario Mandzukic will be heading to East London.
The Hammers attempted to bring in a big-name striker last summer, but were only able to bring in Simone Zaza, Jonathan Calleri and Ashley Fletcher.
Zaza let in January to join Valencia having failed to score a single goal following a loan move from Juventus, Calleri has bagged just one league goal since his loan move from Deportivo Maldonado, and ex-Manchester United youngster Fletcher is one for the future.
West Ham have relied heavy on the injury-prone Andy Carroll for goals this season, and it’s imperative that the Hammers bring in a new striker this summer.
Now, in an intriguing claim, former Besiktas Director of Football – the man who brought Hammers boss Slaven Bilic to the Turkish club – has been quoted by Turkish Football as saying that Mario Mandzukic will leave Juventus for West Ham this summer.
“Mandzukic will not be here [Juventus] at the end of the season, he will go to West Ham United,” said Ozen, who worked closely with Bilic at Besiktas.
It’s unclear just how much substance is behind Ozen’s claims, but Mandzukic could be the striker that West Ham have been searching for.
Mandzukic, 30, has been a proven goalscorer with a number of top clubs, having hit over 100 goals over spells with Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Juventus, becoming a household name in Europe.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Strong in the air and the ideal centre forward for the Premier League, Mandzukic is the big-name attacker that West Ham need, and a possible move could point to manager Bilic staying at the London Stadium.
Bilic has been under pressure recently after picking up just two points in seven games before beating Swansea City 1-0 on Saturday, but he gave Mandzukic his international debut with Croatia, and a reunion could be a dream move for Bilic.
The West Ham hierarchy could move for Mandzukic anyway, but it could point to Bilic being given the summer transfer window to re-tool his squad given that the striker has history with him – and Mandzukic would be a headline addition for West ham after a disappointing season.
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