John Brooks: Impressing for Hertha Berlin

A host of Premier League clubs are battling to land American starlet John Brooks, Sky Sports understands.

The 21-year-old central defender was born and raised in Berlin and came through the youth tanks at his local club Hertha, before rejecting a move to Bayern Munich when he was a teenager.

He made his debut for Hertha in 2012 and has since became an integral part of their first-team squad.

Brooks represented both USA and Germany at youth level before deciding to commit his international future to America.

Now he is set to feature at the World Cup finals and a number of Premier League clubs are poised to make a move.

Sky Sports understands Aston Villa, Stoke City, Everton, West Ham and Newcastle are all ready to swoop for Brooks, who has three years left on his current deal at the Olympic Stadion.

There is also interest from elsewhere in the Bundesliga and France, but Sky Sports understands that Brooks would like to continue his career in England.