Hammers ready to snap up £10m Nsereko

West Ham are poised to sign Brescia teenage striker Savio Nsereko after beating off competition from Juventus and Roma.

It is understood that negotiations are at an advanced state for the Ugandan-born German Under-19 international and that Nsereko could be confirmed as a West Ham player next week.

Nsereko has been top of Gianfranco Zola's wanted list and technical director Gianluca Nani has been in Italy to try and seal the deal, which could be worth as much as £10million.

Zola admitted that, following the departure of Craig Bellamy to Manchester City, his squad could need strengthening. "It is a long season and we might do something," said Zola. "But I won't talk about players who are at other clubs."

Zola has promised to play his strongest team for tomorrow's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Hartlepool. One player who looks certain to feature is young midfielder Jack Collison, who is one of the emerging young stars in Zola's squad.

"Collison almost went out on loan earlier in the season but we had injuries and we played him at Manchester United," said the West Ham boss.

"He played well in that match and now he is a regular.

"He's been a big bonus for us. At the beginning, we wanted to improve as a team but also take the young players forward. Jack is a big case in point. His main strength is his attitude.

"He's not afraid of being out there and he's fearless."