Bild reports that Daka is due to arrive in Hamburg today, with the medical to follow tomorrow. Provided he passes, the forward would link up with the squad that same evening. Daka has been without a club since the start of the month, meaning no transfer fee would be involved, with the Zambia international instead in line for a one-year contract with the option of a further year.
The 27-year-old was most recently at Leicester City, who had paid RB Salzburg €30m for his signature back in 2021. His contract at the King Power Stadium expired at the end of June following Leicester's relegation to League One, leaving him available on a free transfer.
Daka enjoyed considerable success during his time in Austria, winning four league titles and the domestic cup on three occasions with Salzburg, and topping the scoring charts in the 2020-21 season.
He struggled to reach those heights consistently in England, though his pace and movement in behind defences remain considered a good fit for a Bundesliga attack, with Hamburg short of options up front following the departures of several forwards this summer.
Should the move be completed, Daka would give HSV a proven goal threat with Bundesliga-adjacent experience from his years in Austria, at minimal financial risk given the absence of any transfer fee.
Hamburg have been searching for attacking reinforcements after losing Robert Glatzel to Wolfsburg and Ransford Konigsdorffer to Mainz this summer, while Damion Downs's loan spell at the club also came to an end. That has left head coach Merlin Polzin with limited senior options in attack heading into pre-season, making a swift resolution to the Daka situation a priority for the club's recruitment staff.
Daka's time with Salzburg also saw him fluent in German, a factor that could ease his adaptation to both the dressing room and the demands of Bundesliga football should the switch to Hamburg be finalised in the coming days.