West Ham are on the brink of completing a £45million club-record deal for Sebastien Haller, with the French striker due to undergo a medical.
Haller is flying to London to have the checks West Ham hoped would end their search for a centre-forward, after Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt accepted their offer.
The 25-year-old formed a fruitful partnership last season with Luka Jovic, who has since joined Real Madrid. He scored 15 goals and had nine assists in the Bundesliga last term, although he missed a month of action towards the end of the campaign with a stomach muscle injury.
If the deal is completed, it will surpass the fee paid to bring Felipe Anderson from Lazio last summer, in a deal which could eventually rise to £42m.
Haller was watched closely by Premier League clubs during his time in Dutch football, when he played for Utrecht, but he was eventually bought by Frankfurt in 2017 for about £7m.
Haller is set to be the third player to move to West Ham this summer, following the arrivals of Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals and goalkeeper Roberto.
Meanwhile, defender Sam Byram has joined Norwich for just £750,000, after failing to establish himself in east London after signing from Leeds three years ago.
With West Ham currently spending part of their pre-season campaign in China, veteran defender Pablo Zabaleta has said the forthcoming campaign will be his last in English football. The 34-year-old, who signed a one-year contract extension in May, has not yet decided if he will retire.
“This will definitely be my last season in England,” said the Argentine. “I will try to enjoy it because I have been in the Premier League for so long and I’ll miss it the moment I leave, but now I am focused on getting 100 per cent fit. I want to play as much as I can. The reason I am here is because I’m still enjoying my football and, of course, [Manuel Pellegrini] was one of the reasons I chose to extend my contract. It’s always good to work with a manager you know very well.
“I know I am getting a bit old, but I am honest with myself and I am still a good professional. I still enjoy being in and around the team and helping young players.”
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