West Ham United are being reported as being on the brink of signing Manchester United striker Mipo Odubeko.

It’s been widely reported anyway that the Hammers are in pole position to sign the 16 year old but according to a new report it could happen very quickly.

Apparently the Irons have beaten off interest from Juventus and Atletico Madrid to the signing of the 16-year-old.

Football Insider claims it is  ‘only  a matter of time’ before Obudeko joins the club.

Like Martin Samuelsen before him who joined from Manchester City he is likely to be set to be above the pay ceiling in place for youngsters at the club.

The news comes after it was revealed the Hammers had tabled a ‘lucrative’ contract for the striker following his release from the United academy this summer.

Early reports were that whilst United were seriously keen to hold onto the youngster, they were unable to offer him a clear route into the first team, the Hammers have since been able to do that.

If that really is the case – and we have not been able to confirm it with the club -it’s interesting that a 16 year old can be promised such a transition given the variables that can intervene in a teenager’s life.

When one considers the potential of such as Samuelsen, Nathan Holland and the exciting Xande Silva, before his surgery, it seems difficult to see how such promises can be made.

And 15 year old central defender Jamal Baptise, of whom former academy chief Terry Westley spoke so highly in an exlcusive CandH blog yesterday, is nowhere near the first team at this stage.

However, it’s more than feasible the Man United youngster player could be on his way to us attracted by the success of Declan Rice and Grady Diangana in being able to force their way into the Hammers team.