Brescia general manager Gianluca Nani will be offered the newly-created technical director's job by West Ham United.

The Times says Nani is likely to accept the new role, which will begin in the summer. The Italian's duties would include finding players and conducting transfers.

Tony Carr, the club's director of youth development, will continue looking for young local players, leaving Nani to concentrate on discovering foreign talent and experienced players for the first team.

Nani has a good depth of knowledge of players in South America, has been seen scouting at reserve matches in many countries and is proud of persuading Adam Vass, the Hungary midfield player, to leave Stoke City for Brescia, the Serie B club. He also signed Marek Hamsik for about £300,000 from Slovan Bratislava and sold the midfield player to Napoli for a £3.5 million profit three years later.

The Italian will also be expected to oversee the development of the proposed new stadium next to West Ham Underground station and the move to a better-equipped training facility. The club will be forced to leave their present training ground in Chadwell Health, Essex, in about five years.