Walcott close to West Ham deal

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott is closing in on a summer move to West Ham United despite strong interest from Chelsea. The England international has been tipped to leave the Emirates in the summer after he fell out-of-favour under Arsene Wenger.

Walcott, 27, made a strong start with the Gunners this season, and many felt he could play a major part in the club's charge for the long-awaited title.

However, his form took a tumble in the next couple of months, and he found himself playing second fiddle to Olivier Giroud for the striker's job.

Since then, his situation has got worser at the Emirates with the likes of Joel Campbell, Danny Welbeck and young graduate Alex Iwobi being preferred ahead of him for the flank positions.

A report from The Sun reveals that the talented attacker has decided to call time on his Gunners career at the end of the season.

Adding to this, the player is likely to head to the Hammers rather than the Blues, where the competition is high for places.

Walcott has racked over 325 appearances for the Gunners since his move from Southampton in 2006.