Everton manager Robert Martinez confirmed the club are close to completing the signing of Lacina Traore from Monaco.
Traore has been heavily linked with a loan switch to the English Premier League, with West Ham also reportedly showing an interest.
However, Everton seem to have won the race for the 6ft 8in striker, after allaying concerns over a hamstring injury, which is thought to be the major reason why West Ham decided to back out from the deal.
Martinez revealed Traore, who only moved to Monaco earlier this month from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, had completed his medical without too many hiccups and would officially join the Toffees on a loan deal until the end of the season pending a work permit.
"Lacina is a player who I really like and is someone who would fit in really well in the role we want the player to come in," Martinez said. "There are a couple of hurdles that we need to get over; the work permit is something we need to look into.
"If we can get through that he will be a player we will be very keen to add to the squad. He had a recent soft tissue problem but it is not too bad. He is a few days away from being fully fit and we were quite happy with the medical.
"Every work permit is difficult. We have a very strong case of showing why we need Lacina with us.
"He is a very talented footballer. He is only 23 and has already had a couple of moves [totalling] nearly £30million but every work permit is a difficult one and we will try our best."
Martinez was in need of a striker, due to Arouna Kone's long-term injury and the sale of Nikica Jelavic to Hull City last week.
Meanwhile, a player who seems like staying at Everton for the foreseeable future is Leighton Baines, with the left-back thought to be close to signing a new contract despite interest from Manchester United, and Martinez stressed on the importance of keeping a player of Baines' quality at Goodison Park.
"You know how important he is for us," Martinez told Sky Sports after Everton's 1-1 draw against West Brom in the English Premier League. "He is in the best moment of his career and has got a real maturity which allows him to think on the pitch and make good decisions.
"He's not just a player, but a real icon of our football club, so clearly we want him to stay as long as we can. There is nothing to announce at the moment, but the way he's playing, he's looking to try to progress and develop.
"He is a player that you can imagine everyone at the football club would love to see him enjoying his football here for a longer period."
Baines only has 18 months remaining on his current deal, but is expected to sign on the dotted line later this week after snubbing interest from his former manager David Moyes, who is now at United.
