Despite already bringing in Jose Fonte from Southampton in a £8m deal this month, West Ham find themselves still in need of defensive cover.
Angelo Ogbonna had been playing through a serious knee issue which now requires surgery and has ruled him out for the rest of the season, while youngster Reece Oxford is being eyed up for a loan move to the SPL with Rangers.
This would leave the Hammers with just three senior centre-backs in the squad for the second half of the season. A player they are reportedly looking at is Inter’s Andrea Ranocchia, say Gazzetta dello Sport.
The out-of-favour Italian international has made just five Serie A appearances for the club he joined in January 2011 in a £15.7m deal from Genoa despite being a regular in the team in previous years.
Italian news outlet Premium Sports (h/t Sport Witness) have reported that Southampton are ready to rival West Ham for the signing of the 28-year-old defender, while Hull are also said to be interested.
Under contract until 2019, it’s understood that Inter want to offload Ranocchia this month to get his wages off their books for good after Sampdoria refused to sign him on a permanent basis in the summer following a loan spell last season.
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