Espanyol in advanced talks over £3m deal to sign Ajax striker Mounir El Hamdaoui

El Hamdaoui’s agent Sigi Lens has been in Barcelona in the last 24 hours to broker a move for the Morocco international, who has not featured at all this season after falling our of favour with Ajax coach Frank de Boer.

The 27-year-old former Tottenham player is a long-term target for Espanyol having nearly joined on the final day of last summer’s transfer window - and now he finally looks set to complete a switch to the Estadio Cornella-El Prat. He is considered by the Spanish side as a natural replacement for Pablo Osvaldo, who joined Roma last summer.

El Hamdaoui has been linked with a number of clubs this month, including Italian side Fiorentina, after being told he has no future at Ajax. Last week the former Tottenham man spoke of his desire to play in a 'bigger league' in an interview in Holland.

El Hamdaoui joined Ajax from AZ in the summer of 2010 on a four-year contract and scored 13 goals in 26 Eredivisie appearances last season.