Robert Zoellick, a former U.S. chief trade negotiator and the former deputy U.S. secretary of state, will be the next president of the World Bank, several news agencies reported Tuesday.

Zoellick is currently with the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

The official announcement by U.S. President George Bush is expected to come Wednesday.

Zoellick would replace Paul Wolfowitz, who steps down on June 30.

Wolfowitz resigned amid mounting pressure following the May 14 release of a report from a special bank panel that found he broke the institution's rules when he arranged a pay raise for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza.

The president of the World Bank is traditionally a U.S. appointee.

With files from the Associated Press