West Ham are set to launch an ambitious bid for England striker Andy Carroll.
Sam Allardyce wants to make a marquee signing ahead of his club’s return to the Barclays Premier League and West Ham’s owners are prepared to break their budget for the Liverpool No 9.
However, they face stiff competition from Fulham, who are prepared to offer Clint Dempsey plus cash as part of any deal, while there is also interest from Italy.
West Ham are proposing an initial loan with a view to buying Carroll for around £15million. That would represent a huge loss for Liverpool, who signed the forward for £35m in January 2011.
But Carroll, 23, is facing an uncertain future at Anfield after Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers refused to dismiss the idea he could leave on loan. Fulham could yet hold a trump card with Dempsey as Rodgers is a confirmed admirer of the USA forward, who is in the final 12 months of his contract at Craven Cottage.
The interest from Italy in Carroll, who is on holiday, is not just from AC Milan but it is debatable whether a move to Serie A would appeal to him. Carroll, who has scored 11 goals in 59 appearances for Liverpool, has not given any indication he wants to leave Merseyside but may struggle for regular starts in Rodgers’ new regime.
Significantly, Rodgers would not give any assurances about Carroll’s future when presented with the opportunity on Monday and a switch to Upton Park could prove enticing. Allardyce’s style of play would suit Carroll, while he would also link up with close friend and former Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan.
Rodgers is expected to make Fabio Borini his first signing in a £10m deal after Roma confirmed Liverpool’s interest. The new Kop boss is just as keen on tying down Luis Suarez, whose deal runs to June 2016.
Liverpool want to extend his contract and increase his £80,000-a-week pay to be in line with the club’s highest earners. When asked if the club were any closer to announcing Suarez’s new deal, Rodgers said: “We hope so. He has really bought into what we are trying to do. He was really excited about how we played at Swansea last year.” – Dail Mail