The Italians know a thing or two about the art of good defending.
And Sergio Porrini believes Serie A clubs are now casting their eyes on Rangers stopper Calvin Bassey.
The former Ibrox iron man even says they've identified him as a ball-playing stopper in the mould of no-nonsense icon Giorgio Chellini.
Porrini, now assistant manager of Albania, believes it won't only be English Premier League outfits queuing up if Rangers decide to cash in on their biggest asset over the summer.
The Nigerian international has really come to the fore this season and his heroics as the Light Blues went all the way to the Europa League haven’t gone unnoticed.
It has seen Bassey's profile and his value soar to new heights, amongst the top young defenders in Europe.
Former boss Steven Gerrard is keen to take him to Aston Villa and any deal will have to be well in excess of a Rangers' record sale that saw Nathan Patterson head for Everton.
Porrini knows Rangers won’t be short of options and reckons that there are also a number of top sides from his homeland considering a move for Bassey.
The former Rangers star said: “I am not surprised that Aston Villa and other top clubs are looking at him. I know there has been Serie A interest and a lot of teams will be wanting to sign him this summer.
“Any club who has the budget will be trying to get him because he is a top, young defender who will only get better. The good thing for Rangers is that he is still under contract and if they are to sell him it would take a lot of money to get him.”
Porrini thinks Bassey has got it all as a defender and believes he has similar characteristics to Italian and Juventus legend Chellini in his prime.
He admitted: “I have been really impressed with Bassey. He has been really impressive this season.
“He caught my eye especially in the big European games and for me he was as good as anyone in the Europa League final.
“He is quick. physically strong and very committed. For me, he is a real defender.
“You have the defender who is very good on the ball and the other is more like a Giorgio Chiellini who is very strong but also has the quality to play. I think Bassey falls into that later category.”
Bassey will be a big decision for Rangers this summer. Do they sell him or keep him and develop him further and look to try and get more going into the final year of his contract? The money would also allow Giovanni van Bronckhorst to strengthen his squad further for next season.
Porrini, who played with van Bronckhorst for three seasons at Ibrox at the turn of the century, believes the Dutchman did well in his first season at Ibrox lifting the Scottish Cup and getting to the Europa League final.
Porrini explained: “It was also going to be difficult to get a top coach who was in the heart of Rangers like Steven Gerrard.
“It wasn’t easy for Gio when he first went in at Rangers but he still did a great job.
"Rangers weren’t the best team in the Europa League - there were teams like Barcelona and other big teams with multi-million pound squads but it was Rangers who got to the final.
“Gio did a great job because getting to the final wasn’t easy and it was a fantastic achievement. You have to remember Rangers beat teams like Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Leipzig who were big favourites but they pulled off two fantastic victories.
“Yes, in the Scottish Premiership he could have done better but in his first season at Rangers I still think Gio has done a really great job.”
The one disappointment was Rangers finished second in the Premiership. Porrini believes that with a whole pre-season that van Bronckhorst is more than capable of bringing the title back to Ibrox next season.
The Albania assistant coach stated: “I would expect Rangers to be up challenging in the Scottish Premiership next season and they can definitely win the league. I think the title race will be a lot closer next season.
“They failed in a few games in the league and in one or two of the Old Firm games. Celtic took advantage of that and that is why they won the league.
“I expect Rangers to be even stronger next season in the league. They will have learned from last season and will want to take the championship back to Ibrox again.”
Rangers will also be looking to make an impression in Europe again. Porrini was gutted they didn’t go all the way in the Europa League. He reckons they deserved to beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the final and this run will stand them in good stead for next season’s Champions League assault.
Porrini said: “I watched the Europa League final and it wasn’t a great match. Neither team was at their best.
“I expected more from Frankfurt and I thought Rangers approached the game in the right way. I think Gio prepared the team in the best way possible and Rangers were really unlucky.
“I think Rangers deserved to win because I thought they were the better team but the Frankfurt goalkeeper made a miraculous save at the end to get them to penalties.
“It is the second recent European final that Rangers have lost. The last time Zenit were the better team on the pitch but this one was the other way and Rangers deserved to win it.
“I have watched the last three major European finals and I think the best team has lost in all of them. I was very disappointed especially for Rangers because they deserved to win the Europa League.
“It has still been a good run and Rangers will be looking to kick on again to get into the group stages of the Champions League next season.”
