West Ham and Prem rivals set to battle for Wolfsburg star Maxence Lacroix this summer

Both West Ham and Aston Villa are rumoured to battle for Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix in the upcoming transfer window.

Lacroix has cemented himself in the heart of Wolfsburg’s defence this season following his impressive performances. The 22-year-old has been one of the best players among the team and is consistently solid.

This form, however, has attracted interest from two Premier League teams, according to a report from Jeunes Footeux.

The report states that both West Ham and Villa are ‘interested’ in Lacroix and each are ‘attentive’ to his situation.

This is as far as the story delves into the pair’s interest. Lacroix has three years left on his Wolfsburg deal which means he could be priced high.

The report does, however, claim that if Wolfsburg get a suitable offer, they would consider his sale.

West Ham are seemingly battling Villa for his transfer as their top priority remains to add depth to their squad.

The Villans are also after a centre-back to improve their chances of retaining their Premier League status.

As well as this, there have been rumours of Steven Gerrard orchestrating a defensive overhaul before the upcoming season.

While Lacroix has had links with Villa, so too has Liverpool’s Joe Gomez.

Throughout the majority of the season, Lacroix has been deployed in centre-back in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

This links in well with David Moyes’ vision as West Ham commonly lineup the same way. The 22-year-old has also been used as the right-sided centre-back.

This would allow him to back up the aging Craig Dawson. Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop are the usual deputies for either side. However, the pair have missed large portions of this season.

The France international would be able to slot straight into the team