Dimitri Payet set to take a pay cut to join Marseille as West Ham approach transfer agreement with Ligue 1 giants

The France international will earn just over £100,000 a week at the Velodrome, a dip from his current £120,000 per week package

Payet signed a new deal at the club last February but will take a wage cut to leave (Getty)

Dimitri Payet is taking a pay cut to ensure a return to his former club, Olympique de Marseille.

The France international has been angling for an exit for most of January, a situation that became toxic after coach Slaven Bilic revealed in a press conference that Payet no longer wished to play for the club.

Marseille, newly-bolstered with the money of American billionaire Frank McCourt, are expecting to close a deal with West Ham in the coming days for a £25.5million deal plus bonus clauses.

And Payet, in his desperation to secure a move back to the south of France, is accepting a cut in his weekly pay to help smooth the negotiations.

The 29-year-old winger was given a new contract with the Hammers last year that elevated his wages to around £120,000 per week. But with Marseille desperately trying to structure an affordable deal with West Ham, Payet has accepted a pay cut to just north of £100,000 every week in order to speed up the process.

Marseille's current offer totals £25million but with a guaranteed, up-front figure of just £22million. While West Ham have dipped their demands, they're not expected to go much lower than their current negotiating mark of £26million before any additional clauses, which could take the deal as high as £29-30million should Marseille qualify for the Champions League and/or win Ligue 1 during Payet's contract.

Slaven Bilic, the West Ham manager, has insisted that the club don't need to sell Payet but is privately resigned to his departure.