Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik continues to capture the attention of Premier League suitors with yet another goalscoring performance during the week.Â
Vipotnik scored twice in his club’s 3-1 victory over struggling Blackburn, which piled more pressure on manager Valerien Ismael.
His brace was Vipotnik’s 12th and 13th goals of the season and now leads the way in the race for the Championship golden boot despite Swansea’s struggles for consistency this season.
Zan Vipotnik Has Premier League Admirers
His form is not going unnoticed during the January transfer window, with reports linking him with West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
The Slovenian international joined the Welsh side in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer when his contract was terminated at Bordeaux.
Vipotnik, 24, scored seven in his debut Championship season as he got used to the rigours of English football.
However, he looks like a formidable player this campaign, helping fire his side six points away from relegation with 39% of their league goals.
Just before the window opened, Vipotnik was forced to address his future following the speculation and didn’t rule out a potential move.
He said: “It’s nice to hear because everyone is dreaming of playing somewhere, but I’m focused on Swansea.
“It’s December. I want to score as many goals as I can and I hope that in the next game I’ll score again to help the team win, and we’ll see what happens.”
Swansea Boss Casts Doubt On Zan Vipotnik Future
Speaking after the win over Blackburn, Swansea boss Vitor Matos said the club are ‘braced for interest’ this month.
He told reporters: “That is always a good sign when you have that [interest].
“So let’s see what happens in the market. At the moment, we are focused on what we have in terms of the club, focus on the squad we have. VP [Vipotnik] is thinking about that as well.
“You are always open to the market and you never know what happens. At the moment, VP is scoring. He needs to focus on that and not on the market.”
Why Nottingham Forest Need A New Striker
Nottingham Forest may step up their interest in Vipotnik with boss Sean Dyche looking for a new frontman.
Dyche wants more firepower in attack to help further bolster the club’s chances of avoiding relegation this season.
Bringing in another striker will also help facilitate the departure of Taiwo Awoniyi, who has made just one Premier League start this season.Â
Striker Chris Wood remains absent for a significant spell following knee surgery, and there’ll be doubts about his fitness on his return as he turns 35 on his next birthday.
That leaves just Igor Jesus as the club’s main man in attack, with Arnaud Kalimuendo currently on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Forest have also been linked with Napoli’s Lorenzo Lucca this month, and talks remain ongoing, but Vipotnik may be another option should they fail to secure a deal for the Italian.
West Ham are likely to have cooled their interest, having already splashed out close to £52million on two new striking options this January.
Taty Castellanos and Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe have arrived, while Niclas Fullkrug headed to AC Milan.
Callum Wilson looked set to leave but is now likely to stay until the end of the season after his late winner against Tottenham left Thomas Frank on the brink of the sack.
West Ham are also close to agreeing a move for Gonzalo Plata to replace Lucas Paqueta.Â
