West Ham have agreed a fee with Liverpool for Andy Carroll
but the England striker has yet to decide if he wants to join the Hammers
permanently.
The London side will match Liverpool's asking price of
around £15m, but the 24-year-old is unsure about the move ahead of a World Cup
year.
It is understood interest from former club Newcastle United
has cooled.
West Ham are expected to bid for Vitesse Arnhem's Wilfried
Bony if Carroll rejects their approach.
The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international finished as
31-goal top scorer in the Dutch league this season, but West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce has made no secret about Carroll being his main summer target,
Meanwhile, Carroll has withdrawn from the England squad for
the upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil. because of
a heel injury.
Carroll was signed by Kenny Dalglish and moved to Liverpool
on transfer deadline day in January 2011, for what remains a record fee for a
British player of £35m.
He had impressed by scoring 31 times for his boyhood club
Newcastle United in 81 appearances, but his time at Anfield was short lived.
Coupled with the arrival of Brendan Rodgers and a new style
of play, Carroll's return of just six goals in 44 outings for Liverpool saw him
loaned to West Ham in late August 2012.
Despite a knee injury ruling him out for December, Carroll
scored seven times for Allardyce's side during the season, form which
encouraged the West Ham boss to pursue a permanent deal.
"If we can start with Andy Carroll, that would be a
great achievement for us as he can only get better and better," he said
after West Ham's weekend win over Reading.
"Then we build around that in terms of how we want to
improve next year, with better quality.
"Andy is a player who is wanting to enjoy his football.
He lives for his football and wants to play every game. He wants to use his
strengths and score as many as he can - but he also works very hard for the
team."
Whether the deal goes through appears to rest with Carroll,
who has said he has "enjoyed every minute" of his loan spell in
London.
"I have had a great season here at West Ham, really
enjoyed being part of a great set of lads in the team, with the staff around us
and the fans," Carroll told the club's official website.
"Everyone has been so welcoming to me and I have been
over the moon to be here. This is a great club."
One deal that the Hammers have completed is that of Shakhtar
Donetsk left-back Razvan Rat, 31, on a free transfer which will formally go
through on 1 July.
Andy Carroll career stats
Newcastle
(2006-11): 91 games, 33 goals
Preston (loan Aug
2007-08): 12 games, 1 goal
Liverpool
(2011-present): 57 games, 11 goals
West Ham (loan
2012-13): 24 games, 7 goals
England
(2010-present): 9 games, 2 goals
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