Fenerbahce are targeting a move for West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to Takvim.
The Turkish outlet claim that the Italian international wants to move to a club where he will be guaranteed first-team football this season, after featuring continually on the Hammers’ bench.
Takvim report that Fenerbahce are ready to sanction a move for Ogbonna should Manuel Pellegrini give permission for the 31-year-old to leave the club.
Ogbonna did manage to start 20 games last season alongside four substitute appearances and is being eyed up as a potential replacement for Simon Kjaer at the Turkish giants, who have until the beginning of September to complete transfers.
OPINION
Given the fact that he started 20 games last season, it seems unlikely that Ogbonna would complain regarding playing time at the Hammers. The Italian did, however, fail to make much of an impact in pre-season and struggled to look solid as West Ham consistently leaked goals. With the English transfer window shut, it would be very surprising if Pellegrini was to sanction any move for any of his players, whether they are on the bench or starting. With Claret and Hugh also reporting that Winston Reid is not expected to play for an extended period of time, the Hammers would only have young enforcer Goncalo Cardoso to call upon as a backup option. The 31-year-old is still an experienced option for West Ham to utilise whenever he is needed, having averaged 1.3 tackles and 4.1 clearances last season according to WhoScored. With the move reportedly dependant on Pellegrini’s decision, it would be a big surprise if the Chilean was to allow Ogbonna to leave East London in the next couple of weeks.
