Everton are in hot pursuit of Sassuolo defender Gianmarco Ferrari after an impressive season on loan at Sampdoria, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The Italian newspaper claims via their website that Ferrari, 26, is very much in-demand with West Ham and Spartak Moscow also interested in signing him up this summer.
It is understood that Sassuolo would want up to £8.8million to consider selling the 6ft 2in Italian centre-back.
He was in good form at Sampdoria in the 2017/18 season, scoring two goals in 31 appearances across all competitions.
One of his strikes came in a 3-2 win over Juventus while he also helped his loan side keep clean sheets against AC Milan, Roma and Genoa.
Good move for Everton?
Ferrari does look like a good defender and one that Marco Silva should definitely be interested in, especially at that price.
£8.8million is peanuts and given the fact that the Toffees are not likely to spend big again this summer after wasting a lot of cash last year, signing Ferrari may actually make a lot of sense.
He has proven himself to be a solid defender in Serie A and has even earned a call-up to the Italy international team.
Italian’s have a reputation for being top defenders, so why not take a gamble and put in a seven-figure bid now before interest starts to intensify after clubs have stopped focusing on the World Cup.
This is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
Everton have been linked with so many centre-backs this summer as it is clearly one of the main areas that Silva and director of football Marcel Brands need to take a long hard look at improving.
Ferrari is just the latest in a long line and it is hard to see this interest amounting to anything that serious.
West Ham have already signed some defenders so they may not be that interested in Ferrari and for some reason, Spartak Moscow just seem like a more likely place he will end up.
This is Futbol rating 2/10