It seems as if Havard Nordtveit is set for a return to London – this time wearing the shirt of West Ham.

The talented midfielder spent three seasons with the Gunners when he was just 17. He got impatient for his chance to play regularly in the first team and left to join Borussia Mönchengladbach after spending most of his time with Arsenal out on loan.

There, he has been making a name for himself with the Germans.

Out of contract in the summer, Havard had been linked with a move back to Arsenal but it seems as if that could just be some ‘journalists’ putting two and two together and coming up with whatever they want.

West Ham site, The West Ham Way, seem to think that Havard’s arrival will spell the end of Alex Song’s time with the Hammers.

Also a former Arsenal man, he has been finding playing time hard to come by lately with speculation being that he has a clause in his contract which requires just five more starts to activate. The contents of that clause? It would make his move permanent and Slaven Bilic isn’t sure he wants that.

West Ham are believed to have signed a pre-contract agreement with Nordtveit, 25. He has four goals and one assist this season in the Bundesliga. His coach, André Schubert, said towards the end of February that they wanted a resolution to his contract saga by the end of last month. “He is extremely important for us, with his power and passion he leads the boys,” Schubert added.

“In his current form, he always has a place in my starting XI.”

When he left Arsenal, he was a defender and at the time Arsene Wenger said “He is a fantastic character, with great quality. He played last year because we gave him to Nurnberg [on loan], he came back and didn’t play and he needs to play now. That’s why we let him go.

“Yes [I had high hopes for him], but we have a number of centre backs and full backs so he didn’t get the games. I thought in December that it was the right moment for him to go and play.”

The Norwegian cost Arsenal £500,000 initially, with that fee to rise to £2m should he make 40 first team appearances.

He made none but was on the bench once for a game against Sunderland.

Arsenal received £800,000 for him.