West Ham United have turned down a second bid from Torino for Nikola Vlasic as the Premier League outfit continue to hold out for £11 million.
Declan Rice is not the only West Ham player who has been the subject of a number of offers in the early weeks of the window.
But while Rice’s Premier League-record, £100 million-plus move to Arsenal appears to be edging ever closer, the Hammers and Torino still remain far apart in their valuation of another, less-heralded London Stadium midfielder.
Nikola Vlasic, a £25 million signing from CSKA Moscow back in 2021, spent last season on loan in Turin after failing to nail down a starting spot under David Moyes.
West Ham are now willing to let Vlasic leave for a mere fraction of the fee they paid for him two years ago. But Torino’s two bids so far have both fallen short of the Croatia international’s £11 million price-tag.
West Ham reject second Nikola Vlasic offer
The Granata, according to Tuttosport, first submitted an offer of £6.5 million. They have now improved that to around £9 million, but West Ham remain insistent that the one-time Everton youngster will not be going anywhere for a seven-figure sum.
The good news, for Torino, is that personal terms should not be an issue. Vlasic has made no secret of his desire to stay in Italy after scoring five times and setting up eight more goals on loan under Ivan Juric in 2022/23.
“The Torino fans are fantastic,” smiled Vlasic.
“From the first day I arrived in the city, they took me by the hand. Everyone asks me to stay for a long time. I am very happy at Torino. Let’s see what happens in the summer.”
Vlasic, Tuttosport add, has ‘called’ Moyes, sporting director Mark Noble and even West Ham’s club secretary Andrew Pincher, pleading for the Conference League winners to accept Torino’s proposal.
“Nikola is happy at Toro,” Vlasic’s agent Tonci Martic told Sport Italia. “I hope he grows together with Torino. Manager Juric is very important for his career.
“It is difficult to say whether he will stay or not. It depends on the two clubs. Everything is still open.”
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