West Ham United have reportedly agreed terms with Julen Lopetegui to succeed David Moyes as manager at the end of the season.
Speculation over Moyes's future at the London Stadium has been rife for some time, with his current contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The 61-year-old, who confirmed at the end of February that he has been offered a new contract by the Hammers, has repeatedly rebuffed questions about his future, insisting that talks will not take place until after the club's final match of the season away against Manchester City on May 19.
Moyes has spent just over four years at West Ham, who he successfully steered to Europa Conference League glory last season - the club's first European trophy for 58 years.
However, the Scotsman has come under increasing pressure since the turn of the year following a poor run of results - West Ham have won just four of their 23 matches across all competitions in 2024.
The Hammers most recently suffered a humbling 5-0 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving them ninth in the table and five points behind the European positions with only two games left to play.
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West Ham planning for David Moyes exit
With Moyes's future uncertain, West Ham have already sounded out potential successors and now appear to have made progress in negotiations with one of their top targets.
According to multiple reports including BBC Sport, Spanish coach Lopetegui has agreed a deal to become West Ham's new manager at the end of the current campaign.
The report adds that nothing has been signed just yet, but the 57-year-old is close to making a return to management, nine months after leaving his post at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A separate report from The Athletic claims that Bayern Munich made another enquiry for Lopetegui on Monday, but he is said to have his sights firmly set on West Ham.
Lopetegui is also understood to have turned down job offers from a number of other clubs in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Saudi Arabia since leaving Wolves.
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Lopetegui has unfinished business in Premier League
Lopetegui has been in the managerial business for over 20 years and has had plenty of success across Europe, most notably winning the Europa League with Sevilla in 2019-20.
The former Real Madrid and Spain manager joined Wolves in November 2022 when they were bottom of the Premier League and led the club to 13th place with 10 victories in 27 games, finishing eight points above the relegation zone.
Lopetegui left Molineux by mutual consent last summer amid frustrations over by the club's financial situation, but he is now keen to test himself again in the English top flight.
Speaking to Sky Sports News in December, Lopetegui said: "It's why I've said no to different countries and different situations because I would like to stay here in England. I feel like our team here is just starting and we want to achieve our dreams.
"The way the country lives football here is special - it's the best league in the world, the most competitive league in the world, the best environment for the players, coaches and fans too."
Earlier this year, West Ham had been linked with other managers including Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim and Bayern Munich's soon-to-be-departing Thomas Tuchel, but Lopetegui has emerged as their first-choice target to succeed Moyes, if he parts ways with the Hammers this summer.
Oliver Thomas
