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Close to a move to China back in January, Marko Arnautovic, blocked by West Ham, decided it was best to commit to the Hammers, at least for six more months.

Signing a new contract at London Stadium in late January, the Austrian said all the right things, only to quickly return to wanting to leave when the first opportunity arose.

According to Foot Mercato in France, the striker is now close to securing his move out east, as Shanghai SIPG ‘accelerated’ to get a transfer done.

The player has reportedly agreed a three-year contract with the Chinese Super League side, who are expected to pay West Ham €40m for the 30-year-old.

Only a ‘few more details’ need to be sorted for this deal to go through, one that would see the Hammers make a profit on Arnautovic, for whom they paid Stoke City £20.1m back in 2017.

During his time at West Ham, the former Werder Bremen forward has scored 16 goals and assisted teammates 13 times in 65 appearances.