West Ham United strike VVV-Venlo deal

West Ham United have reached an agreement with Dutch side VVV-Venlo that will see the two teams exchange players.

The announcement has brought an end to a year-long process that has seen West Ham's academy manager Terry Westley visit numerous clubs on the continent.

"It's something we have looked at for 12 months. We have been to Slovakia, France and Holland," Westley told the club's official website.

"We have met with different clubs and we chose Venlo in the end after doing our homework and looking at the environment and what the staff are like.

"We managed to get the link after I went over to Holland and met the club's director to form a football partnership. We feel the high technical game which they play could suit our players."

The partnership has already started, with young defender Sam Westley having joined Venlo on loan.