Report: West Ham edging towards deal with Barcelona to sign Alex Song on permanent basis

West Ham United are reportedly on the verge of completing an excellent bit of business involving Alex Song.

According to The Telegraph, West Ham are ready to match Song's £70,000-a-week wages as FC Barcelona are believed to be open to the idea of allowing the player to leave on a free transfer after initially demanding £5 million from potential suitors. As it stands, the two clubs are apparently haggling over performance-related bonuses.

It was reported on Sunday that Chelsea and Manchester City were tracking Song and had held talks with Barcelona due to the 27-year-old defensive midfielder's qualification as a home-grown player, while Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur have allegedly also shown interest.

However, it now appears as though Song - who spent the 2014-15 season at West Ham on a season-long loan - will be extending his stay at Upton Park, particularly following a photo that he uploaded to Instagram on Thursday in which he's standing outside the club's Chadwell Heath training ground.

Having reportedly agreed to a fee of £10.7 million for Dimitri Payet of Olympique Marseille and having signed Pedro Obiang from U.C. Sampdoria, West Ham appear poised to have one of the most versatile midfields in the Premier League next season.