Sasa Lukic can leave in January as asking price emerges for West Ham United target
West Ham target Sasa Lukic wants to leave Torino and could be sold in January but the Hammers face competition, according to Calcio Mercato.
The midfielder is attracting interest from Serie A pair Roma and Napoli, while Premier League rivals Leicester are also in the mix.
The Serbian international has reportedly “never hidden his desire to leave” and if a move doesn’t happen in the winter window he is odds on to go in the summer.
Accordingly, Torino sporting director David Vagnati is apparently prepared to listen to “any concrete offer” for the 26-year-old.
However, a separate report from Calcio Mercato states that he isn’t willing to provide discounts and is looking to receive €15million [£13.3million] to sell Lukic in January, otherwise a move will be left until the end of the season.
Terms are clear
West Ham have issues in the midfield where Declan Rice is widely believed to be on his way out of the club in the summer, barring a major change of heart.
And Tomas Soucek’s form this season has been well short of his best, despite David Moyes remaining surprisingly committed to the Czech.
Flynn Downes was signed nominally as a Mark Noble replacement last summer, but hasn’t been afforded Premier League opportunities as one of the two at the base of the midfield.
Lukic appears to be readily available and, in light of how much the club spent in their record-breaking previous window, for a fairly reasonable price.
The presence of Nikola Vlasic on loan in Turin also provides a negotiating tool as the wide man has enjoyed a return to form in Italy following a miserable time at the London Stadium, so some form of swap could be an option.
Moyes apparently isn’t willing to spend the money on offer to him in January to sign a striker, but if he is minded to strengthen his struggling midfield then there looks to be a clear route to doing so with Lukic.