• Zola keen on bringing former team-mate back to England
• Tottenham have also shown interest in Monaco striker

Gianfranco Zola is close to finalising a deal to take his former strike partner Eidur Gudjohnsen to West Ham United. The manager, who played with Gudjohnsen at Chelsea, appears to have convinced the Icelander to swap Monaco for a return to London and the Premier League.

The move, which would not involve a transfer fee, represents a statement of intent from West Ham’s new owners, David Sullivan and David Gold. Sullivan said last week that he was prepared to pay Ruud van Nistelrooy £100,000 a week, only for the striker to leave Real Madrid for Hamburg, and Gudjohnsen also fits the superstar profile. He is believed to be earning £50,000 a week net at Monaco.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, has shown an interest in Gudjohnsen, as he considers life without Roman Pavlyuchenko, the misfit Russia striker. But Zola is hopeful that he has stolen a march on his cross-town rival.

Zola has Carlton Cole back to fitness but he remains short of options up front, with Zavon Hines a knee injury casualty and Guillermo Franco out with a short-term thigh problem. Zola has also moved for the Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy and he has submitted a formal offer for him. Blackburn have not been impressed at the South African for missing training sessions and they are ready to sell him for £2.5m.

Giovani dos Santos, the Tottenham winger, will join Galatasaray on loan for the remainder of the season, with the Turkish club holding the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

West Ham UnitedMonacoTransfer windowDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk