Avram Grant is on the verge of bringing one of his Portsmouth old boys to West Ham with Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne on the verge of concluding a deal to move to Upton Park.
• Hammers target Barrera
A deal for Piquionne could be sealed by Tuesday with a deal now in its advanced stages. The 31-year-old striker helped Pompey reach the FA Cup final while on loan from Lyon.
West Ham have fought off Fulham and West Brom to capture Piquionne, who now becomes Grant's second big summer signing for his new club following the signing of German midfielder Thomas Hitzslperger.
The Hammers have also made a £4 million bid for winger Pablo Barrera, a member of Mexico's World Cup squad.
Expensive Brazilian wonderkid Neymar remains a West Ham target, but the Hammers have abandoned their fanciful pursuits of Joe Cole and Thierry Henry and have been unsuccessful in a bid for West Brom's Graham Dorrans.
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