West Ham are expected to miss out on Nicolas Nkoulou, despite recent reports suggesting the Hammers were in talks with the Cameroon defender.

Nkoulou’s contract expires at the end of the month, meaning he is free to talk to clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement.

Get French Football revealed that West Ham and Olympique Lyonnais were just two of the sides in contact with the 26-year-old yesterday, but it is Espanyol who look to have won the race for his signature, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish source say talks are ‘well advanced, virtually closed and will be expected to be made official on June 30th’.

Hammers fans may be disappointed that the 68-time Cameroon international won’t be arriving in East London, but with Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna, James Tomkins, James Collins AND Reece Oxford, is there really room for another centre-half?

Tomkins has been linked with an exit, so Nkoulou could be seen as his potential replacement, but, as it stands, no club is prepared to match West Ham’s £12million asking price.