West Ham closing in on €30m deal for Nikola Vlasic
By Max Cooper
West Ham are close to completing a €30m deal to sign CSKA Moscow star Nikola Vlasic, with the Hammers prepared to give up on a move for Jesse Lingard.
The Irons have been hoping to complete a permanent deal for the Manchester United star since his superb loan spell in the second half of last season, but the Red Devils have set a hefty £25m price tag on the England international.
West Ham are reluctant to pay so much for a player in the final year of his contract and so have turned their attention to CSKA's Vlasic, who is now close to a return to the Premier League, according to The Guardian.
David Moyes first made contact with the Croatian midfielder a couple of weeks ago and the deal has progressed rapidly since then. The total fee is believed to be €30m (£25.7m), with CSKA receiving around €8m in bonuses from the transfer.
The Scottish coach believes Vlasic has matured a lot since his failed first spell in the Premier League, when he spent a miserable season at Everton. He joined the Toffees for around £10m, but never really adapted to the demands of the English top flight.
Vlasic joined CSKA on loan at the start of the 2018/19 campaign before making the deal permanent in 2019. He went on to score 23 goals in the Russian Premier League, recovering his best form and demonstrating what Everton had seen in him back in 2017.
He will arrive at West Ham to add extra competition to the current crop of forwards Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma. The Hammers will be happy to welcome another body to the club, even if it's not Lingard.
The Man Utd star became a fan favourite during his half-season at the club, scoring nine goals and firing the Irons to Europa League qualification. However, the Red Devils are refusing to lower their £25m asking price for Lingard, meaning they've been forced to search elsewhere.