West Ham could be searching for a new left-back this summer, with Aaron Cresswell turning 33 before the end of the year and Arthur Masuaku failing to earn David Moyes' trust, having started just five Premier League games so far this season.

In the 28-year-old's last appearance, he managed a lowly 6.1 match rating against London rivals Tottenham, lasting just 56 minutes before being substituted as Dejan Kulusevski and Matt Doherty gave him a very tough time on the Irons' left flank.

With Cresswell also transitioning into a wide centre-back in a defensive three, the likelihood that Moyes will begin searching for a new left-back seems to be growing, and Stuttgart's Borna Sosa has become the latest player to be touted as a possible Hammers transfer target for the summer.

What's the news?

According to Total Football Analysis, it is "highly likely" that West Ham are monitoring the availability of the left-back, with a view to make a move over the coming months for the £18m-rated star.

However, the east London club will face competition from the likes of Tottenham, particularly with the Croatian defender set to leave Stuttgart should they get relegated, according to Sportske Novosti. His current side have just one point more than 17th-placed Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga, so it appears a real possibility that they could go down by the season's end.

West Ham must land him

Stuttgart's shining light in a bleak season, Sosa is their top performer in terms of average match rating according to SofaScore, with an impressive 7.25, with only Freiburg's Nico Schlotterbeck and Hoffenheim's David Raum bettering his total out of Bundesliga defenders.

It also makes him statistically the 16th-best performer in the entire league so far this season, having scored one goal and set up a further seven in just 22 appearances.

He has also made 2.1 key passes per game, earning comparisons to a certain England legend from Stuttgart's sporting director Sven Mislintat, who said: "Borna's said himself that David Beckham is his role model, and I think he has the same qualities.

"He puts in crosses from every angle: sometimes chipped, sometimes drilled, sometimes flat, sometimes in behind, sometimes to the front post, other times to the back post. His left foot is a real weapon."

Ranking in the top 2% among full-backs across Europe's top five leagues and continental competitions for both shot-creating actions per 90 (3.67) and crosses per 90 (5.37) as per FBRef, the "dangerous" left-back could be a lethal weapon for Moyes' team.

The likes of Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Tomas Soucek could really benefit from Sosa's crossing ability, with those three plundering plenty of goals from central positions as it is.

In other news: West Ham endured a disaster as 27 y/o “artist” who Moyes has wanted over the past year has his price tag doubled