Yet another expensive mistake at West Ham as player nears exit

Nikola Vlasic is in Turin to seal a season-long loan move to Serie A outfit Torino, according to MailOnline.

The Croatia international has struggled to make his mark on David Moyes’ team since his arrival from CSKA Moscow last summer in a deal worth £25.7m.

In 31 appearances in all competitions, the 24-year-old managed just one goal and two assists, although his game time was mostly limited to minutes off the bench.

Despite impressing during pre-season, though, it appears the former Everton man’s time in England is up once again, with his loan switch to Torino reportedly including an option to buy for just £12.9m.

The arrival of Maxwell Cornet last week seemingly reduced Vlasic’s chances of more gametime this season, while the attacking midfielder was also not used in the Hammers’ defeat to Manchester City last weekend.

Vlasic’s impending exit represents yet another expensive transfer mistake at West Ham, who have made hefty losses on a handful of big-money signings in recent years.

The likes of Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller, who both arrived for fees in the region of £40-45m, were both sold for a combined total of under £25m.

Haller was sold to Ajax for just over £20m, while Anderson was sent back to Lazio for a fee in the region of just £4m.

And now, a year after splashing the cash on Vlasic, it appears the Hammers are prepared to take another hit on their investment by allowing the player to leave for a cut price, albeit via a season-long loan.

Of course, there is no guarantee Torino will choose to activate their right-to-buy clause but it’s clear that if even if they don’t, West Ham will be forced to recoup a fee nowhere near the £25.7m they paid for him.

If anything, if Torino do not choose to sign him for £12.9m, West Ham may even have to settle for a smaller fee if they want to offload him somewhere else next summer.