Bordeaux's much-coveted striker Marouane Chamakh looks to be on the verge of signing for West Ham after the clubs agreed on a fee for the Morocco international.

Hammers chief executive Scott Duxbury has negotiated a deal with Les Girondins but the club will have to sell first before they can complete the transfer.

It is expected that when defender James Collins completes his £5million switch to Aston Villa then the Irons will be able to complete Chamakh's purchase for a fee in the region of £7million.

West Ham came close to signing the 25-year-old earlier in the transfer window only for the forward to snub the club's approach, with his heart seemingly set on Arsenal.

However, with the 5pm transfer deadline now looming large, this will likely be Chamakh's last chance to move to the Premier League and a switch to Upton Park could now prove more appetising.

The signing of Chamakh would certainly go some way to easing Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola's striker crisis, with Carlton Cole and new signing Alessandro Diamanti the only fit hitmen at the club.

Chamakh's signature would come hot on the heels of the swap deal which took Portugese defender Manuel da Costa to the Boleyn Ground from Fiorentina, with teenage flop Savio heading in the opposite direction.