Reo-Coker move stalls

A bid of £7m has already been put in for the midfielder, who cost only £500,000 when he moved to Upton Park from Wimbledon as a 19-year-old in January 2004, but his career has flourished until recently. He captained West Ham to promotion in 2005 then the FA Cup final a year later. He also led the England side that reached the semi-finals of the U21 Championship in Holland last week, a side including Gary Cahill and Ashley Young, and sources close to Villa indicate the Hammers want as much as £12m for him. However, Reo-Coker was the subject of widespread criticism from fans as West Ham struggled last season and is believed to have spoken to the board in a bid to get them to reduce the fee they require. According to the Guardian a Villa source said: 'Reo-Coker wants to come to Aston Villa but in terms of agreeing a price, the two clubs are poles apart.'