West Ham ace Nikola Vlasic was reportedly close to joining Zenit Saint Petersburg

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West Ham were very close to missing out on Nikola Vlasic to Zenit Saint Petersburg according to a report from Championat.

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Hammers boss David Moyes brought the 26-capped Croatia international to the London Stadium for around £25 million plus £6 million in add-ons (ExWHUemployee).

The 23-year-old is a real talent and the West Ham fans are absolutely buzzing at the prospect of seeing him in action.

Things could have been very different, however.

West Ham could have missed out on Vlasic to Zenit

Championat claims that the Croatian was close to joining the Russian side.

Zenit were prepared to pay £17 million and were willing to offer two players in exchange for Vlasic.

The move allegedly broke down in the final stages of negotiations, however.

Thank God for that. It seems as though we have such a precocious, exciting talent on our hands.

Vlasic is incredibly gifted but he is an absolute workhouse as well. He should fit right in under David Moyes at the London Stadium.

He will probably have to bide his time before he starts for West Ham, such has been the form of our front four during the first three games of the season.

What a player we have on our hands:

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Thankfully Zenit didn’t manage to get a deal for Vlasic over the line. That is very much their loss and West Ham United’s gain.