West Ham look set to beat Premier League rivals Crystal Palace to the signing of Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes.
The Hammers are due to complete the second part of Downes’ medical on Thursday morning, having already completed the first portion on Wednesday ahead of a proposed £9million transfer, that could rise to £12million with add-ons.
Patrick Vieira and Palace were at one stage believed to be leading the race for the 23-year-old, who is a lifelong West Ham fan, but failed to get a deal over the line before the Irons struck one with Swansea.