West Ham, Liverpool battle for Thomas Vermaelen

Premier League duo West Ham United and Liverpool are set to go on a bidding war to land former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen. The 30-year-old has failed to prove his worth at Barcelona due to a series of injuries.

Vermaelen joined the Catalan giants from Arsenal in 2014 with a view to earning a regular place in the first-team.

However, he has since been in the physio room more often than plying his trade in the starting setup.

According to The Sun, the Hammers and the Reds will launch respective bids for the player as they look to lure him back to England, where he had fond memories with the Gunners.

The centre-back is currently in Marc Wilmots' Belgian squad for Euro 2016 despite carrying a muscular problem.