West Ham United could capitalise on a 'stalemate' between Inter Milan and Cagliari to sign midfielder Nahitan Nandez, according to La Repubblica (via Sport Witness).
The lowdown
The Uruguay international made 32 league appearances for Cagliari last season, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.2 dribbles and one key pass per game (via WhoScored). His performances earned him a call-up to his country's squad for the Copa America this summer.
Serie A expert Mina Rzouki has raved about Nandez, labelling him 'unstoppable' and claiming that he's 'one of the most underrated players' in the Italian top flight. The 25-year-old, formerly of Boca Juniors, is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt.
The latest
The report from La Repubblica (via Sport Witness) claimed that Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has made Nandez a primary target, but the reigning Serie A champions have seen an offer rejected by Cagliari.
The player is 'certain' to leave the Sardinian club this summer, either in a permanent deal or on loan with an obligation to buy.
He is said to relish the idea of joining Inter but negotiations between the two clubs appear to have stalled. The Nerazzurri are under pressure to make a breakthrough, with West Ham waiting in the wings if the impasse between the Serie A duo isn't resolved.
The verdict
Nandez appears to be an excellent all-round midfielder judging by his performance figures and the praise which has come his way, but West Ham's priorities should lie elsewhere in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.
Above all, they need to sign a starting centre-back to ensure that their defence doesn't prove to be their undoing. The goals they conceded in Sunday's 4-2 win at Newcastle made this abundantly clear.
After that, the focus should be on recruiting some cover and competition for Michail Antonio at centre-forward. A clear gap exists in that area of the squad, where there is no natural alternative to the injury-prone 31-year-old.
In other news, some West Ham fans were unhappy with this man's performance at St James' Park on Sunday.