West Ham United have made a £17m offer for Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll, according to reports.
The Hammers are thought to prefer getting the former Newcastle man on a season-long loan before making the deal permanent, an option that Liverpool are not too keen on.
However, Sam Allardyce could sweeten the deal by offering a £2m loan fee in addition to the potential £15m transfer.
The deal would be West Ham's most expensive ever signing, but Liverpool are eager to hold out for £20m as they look to recoup as much of the £35m that they paid for the 23-year-old as possible.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan's son, Jack Sullivan, fuelled the speculation by saying on Twitter: "Dad is working on the biggest signing in the history of the club - twice as big as anything the club have done before!"
The Hammers' current most expensive signing is Savio Nsereko, who they signed in 2009 for £9m.
Barney Corkhill
