Everton look set to beat West Ham to the signing of Alex Song after reportedly submitting a £3.55m bid for the Barcelona midfielder.

And the Toffees are reportedly hopeful of landing Song after taking advantage of the Hammers’ inability to agree a fee for the former Arsenal midfielder following a summer of negotiations.

The Cameroon midfielder has been long linked with a permanent move to Upton Park following his impressive loan spell last season, but the Hammers have so far been unable to agree deal with Barcelona.

The Hammers have already agreed personal terms with Song over the move, but the inability to settle on a fee with Barcelona has left the door open to Everton, whom Spanish source Fichajes claims have now had a bid of 5million euros accepted by the European champions.

Song is known to prefer a move to West Ham, but news that Everton are reported to have had a bid accepted could now force the player to consider the transfer to Goodison Park, who is known to have made a return to the Premier League his main objective this summer.

Song has recently undergone surgery to remove a piece of floating bone in his ankle and although will remain sidelined for the next few weeks, it’s unlikely to scupper the chances of a transfer.

News that Everton have had a bid accepted could yet prompt the Hammers into action and a move to Upton Park can still not be ruled out of the equation.