West Ham are in pursuit of Inter Milan trio Gabriel Barbosa, Antonio Candreva and Andrea Ranocchia, according to Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet claim that the Hammers face difficulty bringing all three players over from Serie A to the Premier League in January but that all of them are in the club’s crosshairs.
Calciomercato is the first outlet to link Manuel Pellegrini with a January move for defender Ranocchia but Candreva and Barbosa, better known as Gabigol, have both been reported as possible targets previously.
OPINION
It seems the Hammers are sniffing around Inter Milan for one reason or another as being linked to three of their players hasn’t come from nowhere. Between them the players have a respectable amount of international experience as they have a grand total of 79 caps which shows their quality. Candreva, who has 54 caps for Italy, would be respectable signing for the Hammers to make as the experience winger could be capable of providing the creative spark that Pellegrini’s side sometimes lacks. Gabigol, who has four caps for Brazil, would also be a fantastic addition to the Hammer’s squad as the forward has been in clinical form while on loan at Santos in 2018. The 22-year-old scored an impressive 18 league goals in 35 outings for the Brazilian giants and could have the skills to be a lethal force in England too. The only questionable target this report suggest is centre-back Ranocchia, who has 21 caps for Italy, as he doesn’t exactly tick a lot of boxes. Pellegrini isn’t in dire need of a new centre-back and Ranocchia hasn’t managed to make one appearance for Inter Milan all season and that should be a red flag. Based on this, if the Hammers had to only pick one of the trio to sign, they should prioritise going after Gabigol.
