Obiang hopes dead in the water

Pedro Obiang’s hopes of a move back to Sampdoria look dead in the water following an investigation into his transfer from the Italian club to West Ham

Samp president Massimo Ferroro is at the centre of a fraud investigation along with five others after police seized more than £2.3million from Samp as part of a fraud investigation, part of which centres on the 2015 sale of midfielder Obiang.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by West Ham or Spaniard Obiang.

It has been widely speculated the player could have been on his way back to the Serie A outfit this winter or in the summer – a move which Obiang was widely believed to have wanted in the summer.

That didn’t happen because the club chose instead to sell fellow midfielder Cheik Kouyate ensuring he was forced to remain at West Ham.

O Ferrero is suspected of misappropriating some of the proceeds to clean up the balance sheets of his other businesses.

He is also suspected of using club cash to produce a movie and buy property in Florence, Italian tax police said in a statement.

Ferrero’s lawyer, Antonio Romei, said the alleged offences happened several years ago, and added that both his client and Sampdoria were unconcerned by the investigation.