West Ham face battle to keep Angelo Ogbonna, Lazio want to sign him – report
West Ham face a battle to keep hold of Angelo Ogbonna past this summer as Lazio want to sign him on a free transfer, according to Citta Celeste.
The veteran centre-back had been a regular under David Moyes this season before rupturing his ACL against Liverpool, ruling him out of action for the remainder of the season.
His current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but there has been suggestions that the Hammers will extend his deal to keep him into next season.
However according to Citta Celesta, Serie A giants Lazio are in the market for a central defender who is out of contract and they see Ogbonna as the ‘most feasible’ option this summer out of the Premier League.
Ogbonna previously played in Italy for Torino, Crotone and Juventus and has been capped by the national team on 13 occasions in his career.
Decision
Depending on where West Ham end up finishing in the league this season, there could be a decision to make on Ogbonna’s future.
He will be 34 by the time the summer comes around and the club are already in the market for centre-back reinforcements to go into the team alongside Kurt Zouma.
Ogbonna has been excellent for the Hammers since joining the club, but father time remains undefeated and coming back from a serious knee injury will not be easy at all.
If Moyes and West Ham can find a suitable replacement during the summer window, letting Ogbonna return to his homeland wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
The signing would have to be an upgrade though otherwise it’s obviously not worth it, so Moyes should get his scouting hat on and look to see if the club can find an option in case Ogbonna does end up leaving at the end of his deal.
In other West Ham news, West Ham failed to make deadline day signing after not selling first-teamer – report