Everton and West Ham United are reportedly both keen to sign Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari.
The 26-year-old was sent out on loan to Sampdoria last season and impressed for I Blucerchiati, and is now being coveted by Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and AS Monaco, again reported by Calciomercato.
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Strangely, the defender has actually never featured for his parent club, having signed for them in 2016. Before his tempoarary move to Sampdoria last season, he was loaned out to Crotone for the 2016/17 campaign.
His performances last season were consistent enough to attract the attention of the Italian national team. He was called up for recent friendly matches with Argentina and England, but is still yet to earn his first cap.
With Calciomercato reporting that both Everton and West Ham are interested in signing the defender, the Irons may feel as though they wil be in with a better chance since they already have Italian centre-back Angelo Ogbonna in their ranks.
Ogbonna made the switch from Serie A to the Premier League in 2015 from Torino, and West Ham may feel as though his presence could tip the balance in the Hammers’ favour on this one. Certainly the €13 million (£11.5 million) release clause should not prove too much of a sticking point.
If a player has a choice to make between two clubs, he surely has to consider where he is going to feel the most comfortable. Ogbonna is an established Italian defender at West Ham and could sell the experience well to Ferrari.
The Hammers have a history of signing Italian players down the years to varying degrees of success, and it will be interesting to see, if he signs, whether Ferrari would have more of a Paolo Di Canio or Simone Zaza-esque impact.
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