West Ham are reportedly interested in a move for Rangers defender Borna Barisic, according to Football Insider.
The Hammers have been linked with a plethora of left-backs in recent weeks as David Moyes seeks to obtain cover, and potentially a long-term replacement, for Aaron Cresswell.
Arthur Masuaku had been deployed in a left wing-back role whilst Cresswell converted to a central defender in recent weeks, but the DR Congo man recently underwent surgery to fix a long-standing knee problem, leaving Moyes short on options.
Barisic was signed by the Scottish Premiership leaders in 2018 from Croatian side NK Osijek and has improved exponentially in recent months after a difficult first campaign north of the border.
The 15-cap Croatia international has plenty of experience and would likely provide a ready-made understudy to Cresswell with the potential to challenge for an immediate starting berth.
The Rangers man has already played a staggering 26 times this season, chipping in with two goals and setting up another 10 for his team-mates – that’s six more than West Ham’s left-back incumbent.
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Until now, many of the left-backs linked with a switch to the London Stadium have been youngsters with the potential to learn and improve under Cresswell’s tutelage with the view to taking over the reins in the future.
Barisic, though, is a fully-fledged senior operator who would likely be reluctant to make the move to the Premier League without the realistic prospect of first team football.
Valued at just £3.6m by Transfermarkt, a move for the Croatian is unlikely to cost an exorbitant fee, a factor which will likely gain the approval of the Hammers hierarchy.
