Aston Villa face competition from Thaksin Shinawatra's Manchester City for West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.

The Daily Mail says prospective City manager Sven Goran Eriksson will begin the rebuilding task at Eastlands by launching a bid for Reo-Coker.

The midfielder is seen as a perfect replacement for Joey Barton, who left City to join Newcastle, and is likely to be available for around £8m after an impressive series of displays for England Under-21's at the European Championships in Holland.