West Ham have joined the race for Newcastle United target Andrea Ranocchia.
According to a report on TalkSPORT the Inter Milan defender is wanted by four Premier League clubs after impressing on loan at Hull in the second half of last season.
The 29-year-old has been told that he is no longer required at the San Siro and is keen on a move to England even though he still has two years to run on his Inter Milan contract.
Rafa Benitez has been aware of Ranocchia for some time and kept close tabs on how he fared at Hull City.
The Newcastle boss is preparing to build his team from the back and is looking to form a new look defence built around Frenchman Florian Lejeune who signed from Eibar.
With Hudderfield and West Brom also keen Ranocchia seems certain to be heading for England with quality defenders in short supply.
