MATT Taylor has flown back from Wanderers’ US tour to join West Ham United.

The midfielder is expected to join Sam Allardyce’s side in the next 24 hours in a £2.2million deal.

Taylor was in and out of Owen Coyle’s team last season after battling with Martin Petrov for a starting spot on the left-hand side. The 29-year-old still owns a farm in Oxfordshire and is keen to move back down south.

And, with just one year left of his existing contract and fearful of a repeat of the Johan Elmander situation in which the record signing was allowed to walk away for nothing, Wanderers see it as sensible business to offload one of their top earners three-and-a-half years after paying Portsmouth £3.5m for his services.

Taylor, an unused substitute in the 3-1 victory against Orlando, will join up with former Bolton old boys Kevin Nolan and Abdoulaye Faye at Upton Park as Allardyce continues to raid his former club.

Big Sam has also tried to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ricardo Gardner and Jlloyd Samuel.

Stoke and West Brom are also interested in Taylor, who scored 23 goals in 139 appearances for Wanderers, but the Hammers remain favourites to land the former England Under-21s player.

Coyle will use the Taylor money to spark a summer spending spree as he looks to strengthen his depleted squad ahead of the new season.

Wanderers have already agreed a £5m fee for Barcelona’s Jeffren Suarez, with the club set to discuss personal terms with the 23-year-old winger when they fly home from America on Saturday.

Coyle will also step up his interest in former Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker on his return.

The 26-year-old is available on a free transfer after seeing out his contract at Villa Park earlier this summer.

Bolton take on MLS outfit Houston Dynamo in the early hours of tomorrow morning (BST1.30am) in their final match of their three-game tour.