The United States want to base their athletics team in Birmingham during the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

The deal is close to being agreed, chairperson of USA Track and Field (USATF) Stephanie Hightower told a news conference on Sunday.

"This is looking the best choice for us," said Hightower, who is in Birmingham with USATF chief executive Craig Masback to finalise the agreement.

The city, about 160-km north of London, is hosting the European indoor championships which end on Sunday and has an athletics high-performance centre.