West Ham United have once again been linked with a move to sign Croatian International Milan Badelj, it has been reported.
The 30-year-old turned down the London club last summer before moving to Lazio as a free agent from Fiorentina. However, that move went south, and the midfielder found himself relegated to bench duties for much of the campaign.
According to a report from on Sport Witness, the Serie A side is now on the lookout for potential buyers for the Croatian midfielder.
Meanwhile, Badelj has garnered interest from a number of clubs in West Ham, Fenerbahce and Bordeaux, the report adds.
The right-footed midfielder scored a single goal in his 26 appearances for the Rome based club. He played a meagre 1288 minutes across all competitions in the recently concluded campaign.
What will he add to the team?
Milan Badelj is a versatile player who primarily features as a defensive midfielder and can also move to a central midfield role in case the manager asks of him.
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini, who mainly deploys his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation, would enjoy the Croatian’s flexibility on the pitch.
The 30-year-old can do both jobs, sit in deep or charge forward with the ball, using his excellent dribbling skills. He managed 1.1 dribbles per game across all competitions last term and that number seems impressive seeing his limited playing time at Lazio.
The former Fiorentina man also possesses the ability to manoeuvre the play from the back, all thanks to his supreme technical ability with the ball at his feet.
He averaged a pass success of 86.6% and managed 1.6 long balls per 90 minutes across all competitions last term.
Defensively, the midfielder once again shines and boasts of striking an excellent balance in his gameplay. His physical nature and solidity in front of the back four means he provides an extra edge to his side during the defensive phases of the game.
Badelj stands at 6ft 1in tall and is a force to reckon with in the centre of the pitch. He managed 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 0.6 aerial duels won per game which highlights his rock solid attitude going into tackles both on and off the ground while possessing good game awareness to frequently intercept opposition passes.
The Croatian International is 30 years of age and with Lazio trying their best to offload the player, the Hammers can land him for a cut-price fee which won’t be a bad deal for a high-quality midfielder who still has a couple of years left in him at the top level.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored