Sampdoria are in the running with Wolfsburg and Ajax for 18-year-old FC Dallas and USA international striker Ricardo Pepi.
According to Das Bild, the Serie A side are among the competitors looking to a potential January swoop for the MLS talent.
Pepi has joint American and Mexican citizenship, but has already earned his first senior cap with the USMNT, scoring a goal on his debut against Honduras in September.
He has scored 13 goals in 27 MLS appearances during 2021, along with two assists.
Bologna had also been heavily linked with Pepi over the summer, but he signed a new contract with FC Dallas until December 2026.
It would certainly be a change of approach for Sampdoria, whose current first choice strikers are 38-year-old Fabio Quagliarella and 34-year-old Francesco Caputo.
Manolo Gabbiadini is also expected to recover from a badly sprained ankle fairly soon, having sustained the injury in late August, which will add to the attacking options for the Blucerchiati.
#Calciomercato #Sampdoria, nome nuovo per gennaio: Ricardo #Pepi#samp https://t.co/9fLMBjej60
— @ClubDoria46 (@clubdoria46) October 5, 2021