OPINION
Inter Milan’s desperate attempts to sign a new centre-back this summer have reportedly seen them offer a swap deal to West Ham for defender Angelo Ogbonna.
Sky Italy claim that Inter have turned their attentions to former Juventus defender Ogbonna, 29, offering midfielder Marcelo Brozovic to the Hammers as part of the deal.
Italy international Ogbonna was one of the standout performers in a mediocre West Ham side last time around before suffering a long-term knee injury against Middlesbrough in January.
However, his return has failed to stem the flow of goals conceded by West Ham this season, with goalkeeper Joe Hart conceding 10 goals in three Premier League outings.
This Is Futbol considers whether allowing Ogbonna to leave and signing 24-year-old Brozovic is a good move for the east London club, and if a deal is likely to be completed.
Good move for West Ham?
West Ham desperately need a central midfielder who can find the back of the net on a regular basis, as well as simply needing to add cover in the middle of the park.
The loss of Havard Nordtveit has seen Bilic look to add a new midfielder with the signing of Sporting Lisbon ace William Carvalho, but that is yet to be completed.
Mark Noble managed just three Premier League goals last term, while Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang scored just one apiece. Brozovic scored six, as well as laying on four assists, in just 28 matches.
Brozovic also knows Bilic well from the latter’s spell in charge of the Croatia national side, and that would see the Inter ace hit the ground running. He could be the missing piece in West Ham’s jigsaw.
This Is Futbol rating: 9/10.
Likely to happen?
The Hammers currently have plenty of options at centre-back in James Collins, Winston Reid and Jose Fonte as well as Ogbonna, which could make the latter slightly expendable.
Although Ogbonna is arguably the best of all four, he is yet to hit the heights expected of him since his move from Juventus and a goalscoring central midfielder could be considered more important by Bilic.
Adding Brozovic to the side would boost the lack of creativity at the London Stadium, in what could prove to be a shrewd move for both teams.
However, plenty of convincing will have to be done to persuade both parties to agree to a move, with Brozovic likely to see West Ham as a step down from Inter and Ogbonna’s assurances of first-team game time under threat at the San Siro.
This Is Futbol rating: 4/10.