Roma set to recruit Luca Toni

The 32-year-old has netted 38 league goals in just 56 outings for the German giants since arriving in 2007, having bagged 47 and 50 league goals for previous clubs Fiorentina and Palermo respectively.

However, the prolific Italian is believed to be concerned about his first-team opportunities at the Allianz Arena in 2009/10 following the arrival of new coach Louis van Gaal and strikers Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic.

And as a result, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham have been linked with a move for the front-man, with Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola desperate to bolster his forward line before the end of the month.

However, both the Hammers and Spurs now appear set to miss out on the striker's signature, after the player's representitive, Jose Alberti, revealed that Roma are closing in on a deal to take Toni back to his homeland.

"It's a situation that is 80 percent likely to be concluded successfully," he told Roma Giallo Rossa.

"At the moment, there is no negotiation, only an interest on Roma's part.

"Both the club and the player have been informed and Roma are awaiting a response from Bayern Munich.

"Toni is very willing to return to Italy, particularly because he played in the World Cup in Germany alongside [Francesco] Totti, so that would be an extra incentive for him.

"He wants to regain the faith of those who didn't believe in him in Germany."

Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.