By Dave Langton

West Ham are close to completing a deal for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and a deal could be announced as early as this week.

Sources have confirmed to C&H that the deal is “95% there”, after boss David Moyes turned his attention to securing the goalkeeper’s signature permanently.

West Ham signed Nayef Aguerd last week and the club immediately pivoted to securing Areola’s signature.

The club included the option to sign him permanently in the initial loan agreement and are now poised to trigger it for a fee of around £8m.

There is a hope at the club that Areola will eventually become the Hammers’ first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, who is entering the final year of his contract.

He was primarily used as the cup goalkeeper last season but the Irons have beaten both Newcastle and Fulham to his signature.

It remains to be seen who will be playing in goal on the opening day against Manchester City but in the meantime when we asked if an earlier report that he had in fact signed was correct we were told: “It’s 95 per cent done now,”.