Premier League clubs West Ham United and Manchester City have both been linked with a move for French striker Djibril Cisse of Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille, according to reports in the Daily mail and Daily Mirror respectively.

Manchester City are believed to be considering making an offer for the former Liverpool forward, with City forward Benjani tearing a thigh muscle which will keep him out for a spell, while record signing Jo will miss the start of the season due to being with the Brazil squad at the Beijing Olympics.

However, although new Blues boss Mark Hughes needs to add another striker to his squad, he could be put off by the £11.75million (€15m) valuation Marseille have put on the Frenchman and could try to bring Cisse to the Eastlands Stadium on a loan-deal.

West Ham are believed to have gone one step further and tabled a £9.4million (€12m) offer to make the French International part of Hammers boss Alan Curbishley’s Upton Park squad, with Cisse, who scored 16 times in 35 appearances for Marseille last season keen on a return to the Premier League.

Any move for Cisse will have to happen soon, with Marseille director Jose Anigo setting a Friday deadline for Cisse to leave the club, so he has time to look for a suitable replacement.