Manchester City to battle Liverpool for £15m West Ham defender

MANCHESTER CITY are considering a bid for West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell, according to reports.

 

Cresswell has caught the eye of a number of England's top clubs

 

The left-back was been the subject of interest from Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer when then manager Sam Allardyce was forced to deny rumours of a £25million buy-out clause.

When Luke Shaw suffered a horrendous broken leg, Louis van Gaal was said to be lining up a £15million bid for the player although that has yet to materialise. 

But now The Times claim City are eyeing a move for the defender who would boost their homegrown player quota for the Champions League.

 

And while Manuel Pellegrini is keen on a summer move for the 26-year-old, Jurgen Klopp's defensive injury crisis at Liverpool means he wants to move for Cresswell in the January window.

The Englishman started his career at Tranmere Rovers but moved to Ipswich Town at the age of 22 after impressing in the lower reaches of the Football League.

Having signed for West Ham in the summer of 2014, Cresswell immediately became a mainstay at left back, appearing in every Premier League fixture despite it being his first season in top-flight football.

 

After West Ham spent the summer rebuffing transfer rumours from all corners, Cresswell has gone from strength to strength this year as the London club have risen to sixth in the Premier League table.

And while Slaven Bilic may be able to hang onto his highly-rated defender until the end of the month, a bid from a Champions League club in the summer could be too much to turn down.