West Ham United Edge Closer to Deals for Mauro Zarate and M'Baye Niang

West Ham United are close to tying up deals for Argentine striker Mauro Zarate and Milan youngster M'Baye Niang, reports suggest.

Zarate, 27, who enjoyed a brief loan spell with Birmingham City in the second half of the 2007/08 season, has told Sky Sports News that he has been approached by the Hammers and is on the brink of signing a three-year contract with the club.

And after Sam Allardyce was given the mandate to adopt a more attacking approach as of next season, the club could be poised to add another forward to their front-line in 19-year-old Niang, who is very close to agreeing a loan move to Upton Park, France Football report.

After emerging from Caen's ranks Niang underwent trials with Arsenal before he opted for a move to Milan in the summer of 2012 but amid a string of controversial incidents - including picking up a one-year ban from the national team after ditching a training camp for a night out – has struggled to impose himself on the first team.

A loan move to Montpellier last January appeared to spark a resurgence in the French teen after he scored four goals in his first six appearances back in his homeland but soon found himself back in the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence after fleeing the scene of a car accident.

The France Under-21 international was taken into custody after crashing his Ferrari while still serving a driving suspension, with witnesses claiming he crashed into several other cars before losing control.

However a loan move to a West Ham side who will now operate under renewed verve could facilitate another fresh chance for the youngster.

After Andy Carroll was ruled out for the first-half of the 2013/14 season West Ham were forced to re-sign Carlton Cole – who was released by the club the previous summer – to bolster their forward options.

While manager Sam Allardyce managed to secure the club's Premier League status for a third consecutive season, criticism over his style of play has seen the club implement a number of measures to ensure a more attractive brand of football for next season.

In efforts to "ensure the team provides more entertainment" Allardyce has been ordered to take on a new attacking coach while the board is to have greater involvement in the recruitment of players.