West Ham United rival Chelsea for Maksimovic

West Ham United will reportedly battle it out with Chelsea for the services of Torino centre-back Nikola Maksimovic. The Serbian was reprimanded by his club after he refused to train with the first-team.

According to The Sun, the Hammers have held initial talks with Serie A outfit over a move for the wantaway defender.

The 24-year-old is hopeful of earning a Premier League move this summer having previously skipped training at the Turin side.

Manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has recently accused the defender of betrayal after he tried to force through a move away from the club.

The defender started off his career at holding midfield before he was groomed into a central defender. He has appeared in 76 games for Torino since his switch from Red Star Belgrade in 2013.