West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna could head back to Italy
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna could be heading back to Italy next summer, according to a report from Diretta Goal.
Ogbonna, who played for Torino and Juventus before moving to West Ham, is likely to return back to his own country, with two Italian clubs – Lecce and Frosinone (Serie B) – vying for his signature.
The 34-year-old has a contract at the London Stadium until the end of the season, and he will be allowed to leave once his contract expires.
January signing
Ogbonna has been a great servant for the club. He joined the Hammers in 2015 and has managed over 210 appearances for the club.
Last season, he was playing extremely well but an anterior cruciate ligament injury put an abrupt end to his campaign. He has returned to full fitness but has only managed 26 minutes of Premier League football so far.
The Hammers are unlikely to renew his contract which means he is set to leave the club next summer as a free agent. He can sign a pre-contract with any foreign club in January as well.
It remains to be seen if the Hammers will sign a new defender in the winter transfer window, especially after the injury to Kurt Zouma.
The French defender has undergone surgery last week after picking up a knee injury and it is not clear when he can return to action.
Nayef Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer and Craig Dawson are other options for Moyes, but the Hammers boss could be tempted to bring in a new face in that department, even on loan.