Everton and Liverpool are battling out for Serie A defender Andrea Ranocchia, according to the Daily Star.
The Merseyside rivals have been interested in the Inter Milan defender for a while, with the Blues linked with a move for the 27-year-old earlier this year.
Ranocchia has made 166 appearances for Inter in the five years he has been with the Italian giants.
The centre-half has only played 90 minutes once so far this season, and could seek a move away from Roberto Mancini’s side.
Ranocchia has made 20 appearances for the Italian international team but is rarely involved in competitive matches and according to Football Italia he is likely to leave the San Siro in January, with the Toffees and the Reds favourites for the signing of the centre-half.
Internazionale team-mate Javier Zanetti has spoken about the rumours of Ranocchia leaving the European giants.
Ranocchia? I feel sorry for Andrea, he’s a good lad and I’m sure he’ll be back. He has to prove his worth, he should feel like a captain. Everyone is a captain, and the group is the most important thing.
Zanetti still believes that his former team-mate can get himself back into Roberto Mancini’s team plans.
Ranocchia signed a four-year deal in July, which could complicate attempts to sign the defender, but with the transfer window fast approaching we surely haven’t heard the last of this.
