Both Manchester United and Manchester City are eyeing summer moves for West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness).
The 28-year-old centre-back joined the Hammers for a fee believed to be in the region of £8m last summer from Juventus and enjoyed a strong first season in the Premier League establishing himself as West Ham’s first-choice defender.
His form was recognised by outgoing Italy manager Antonio Conte, who has rewarded the former Torino star with his first international cap since 2014 last night and has included him in his 23-man squad for Euro 2016 which kicks off on Friday.
Ogbonna’s performances for the Hammers have caught the eyes of both Manchester clubs who are well-known to be in the market for several defensive additions this summer as they both have their hearts set on challenging for the Premier League title next season.
Having missed out on Mats Hummels who’s returned to Bayern Munich after spending most of his career with Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, United and City are both said to be closing in on alternative targets Eric Bailly or Villarreal and Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao respectively, with the former understood to be undergoing a medical with the Red Devils.
The Italian international is a fan-favourite in East London, his excellent athleticism, and reading of the game have not gone unnoticed amongst the terraces at Upton Park.
The highlight of his West Ham career to-date would be scoring a 120th-minute winner against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup fifth round replay last season.
Ogbonna and Winston Reid emerged as Slaven Bilic’s first-choice centre-back pairing as the season drew on, and the club would not be willing to split the duo if they can avoid it.
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