West Ham close in on Anelka

West Ham are on the verge of bringing Nicolas Anelka back to the Premier League.

The Hammers have held talks with the veteran French striker about a shock return to England and reunion with his old boss Sam Allardyce.

Anelka only quit Chelsea to make a £250,000-a-week switch to Chinese side Shenghai Shenua in January, after a bust-up with ex-Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas.

But the move has already turned sour, with Anelka less than halfway through the lucrative two-year deal he agreed.

Anelka, 33, has failed to settle at the club, where he is currently player-assistant manager.

And he is also understood to be in a pay wrangle with the club.

Allardyce has been monitoring Anelka’s situation and would move swiftly to take him to Upton Park.

The pair worked together at Bolton and Anelka is a huge fan of Allardyce.

The ambitious move for an experienced player like Anelka is a trademark Allardyce deal.

He helped extend the careers of the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo, Youri Djorkaeff and Fernando Hierro while he was at Bolton.

If the Hammers push through a deal, West Ham would be Anelka’s sixth Premier League club.

He has also played for Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, along with Bolton and Chelsea.

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Source: DailyStar