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The striker was the subject of interest over the summer and has now been linked with another move away
West Ham have reportedly made an enquiry about Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik, as the Premier League side explore their options ahead of the January transfer window.
Vipotnik, who has 10 goals in 23 appearances for the Swans so far this season, was linked with a move away over the summer amid interest from Europe, but stayed put. However, the Slovenian is now receiving interest again, with two Italian sides also reportedly looking to pursue a deal to sign him.
According to GiveMeSport, the Hammers have enquired about Vipotnik as they look to replace Niclas Fullkrug, with the German striker set to leave the London Stadium in January.
Fullkrug has had an injury-hit stint in east London since joining from Borussia Dortmund last year, and has failed to score in nine appearances across all competitions so far this season.
No longer in Espirito Santo’s plans, he has been linked with a loan move to AC Milan, with West Ham now reportedly reviewing several attacking options ahead of the transfer window opening.
Vipotnik has now emerged as one of those names under consideration, but there have not yet been any negotiations or formal discussions over a deal, according to reports.
However, there is reportedly more concrete interest from Italy, with two unnamed Serie A sides thought to be tracking the Swans man closely while weighing up whether to make a bid or not.
As for the Swans’ own transfer plans, Vitor Matos said earlier this week that he has identified areas he feels his side could strengthen in the upcoming January window, but the new boss won’t do any business that doesn’t ‘add value’ to his squad.
“The market is always there,” the Swans boss said. “And I think, as a club like Swansea, we always need to look in the market in a way that makes the club stronger.
“But at the moment that’s not the priority. We have a lot of games to come and we need to be focused, and there’s a lot of people working on that.”
Asked if he had identified areas to strengthen, Matos added: “Yes, there are profiles. But as I said, it’s important that when we decide to go for someone it needs to be someone that adds value to the squad, and to the team. That needs to be the focus.
“Not signing just because of numbers. It needs to be someone we believe will add quality and that’s what everyone is focused on at the moment.
“Like I said, it will never be about the budget or this kind of thing,” he continued. “It needs to be about the profile, because the January market is not a normal market. It’s a market that is shorter than the summer. It’s a market that sometimes you’ll find players, but it’s the players not playing as well.
“Sometimes it’s a market that’s more expensive, because if you want the player in January it’s normally a player that’s playing. It’s going to be more expensive. So it’s a really specific market, and we need to understand and see how we can use it in the right way for us.”
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