Quote:
West Ham close to £7m Parker deal
West Ham are believed to be close to sealing a £7m deal for Newcastle captain Scott Parker after fighting off late interest from Tottenham.
Hammers chief executive Scott Duxbury held late-night talks with Parker's representatives following Spurs' move.
Parker is reportedly set to meet West Ham officials on Thursday after a fee was agreed with the Magpies.
The England midfielder, 26, played under Hammers boss Alan Curbishley when they were both at Charlton.
West Ham are in the market for a central midfielder, with skipper Nigel Reo-Coker set to move this summer.
Parker spent seven years with Curbishley at The Valley and made his England debut against Denmark in 2003 before completing a £10m move to Chelsea.
But with first-team opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge, he moved to St James' Park in a £6.5m deal in 2005 and was made skipper last summer.
However, reports suggested Parker struggled to settle in the north-east and was targeting a move south.
New Newcastle manager Allardyce is believed to be eyeing out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton as a potential replacement.
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BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | West Ham Utd | West Ham close to £7m Parker deal
he's going...
He'd do a good job at West Ham but I'm surprised Spurs didn't put up a bigger fight for him.