Source: Telegraph
West Ham want £15m for Carlton Cole as clear-out begins
It is understood that all the offers have fallen well short of the £15 million West Ham want for the 26 year-old. [LNB]Cole arrived from Chelsea for £1 million in the summer of 2006 and has developed into an England international although he missed out on Fabio Capello's 30-strong provisional World Cup squad. [LNB] Related ArticlesGrant closer to West Ham moveKeeper ready to serveFabregas wants Arsenal future resolvedJames blow after Cudicini signs new Spurs dealCoe: World Cup bid still aliveSport on televisionThere has been talk of interest in him from Arsenal and Aston Villa but only bids from the three other Premier League clubs, and according to sources, one from abroad have been lodged. [LNB]The fact that the identity of the foreign club has not been disclosed suggests it is closest to West Ham's asking price and a deal might still be done. [LNB]Cole's difficult season has been blighted by injury but he is still regarded as one of West Ham's prize assets, although passing a medical will not be regarded as a formality given his history of knee problems. [LNB]His sale would provide funds for a manager to rebuild the squad. Avram Grant is set to be named in the role after Portsmouth agreed to let him leave without seeking compensation. [LNB]David Sullivan, West Ham's co-chairman, would only say on Tuesday that he would "have a new manager in place within the next two weeks" but, according to sources close to Grant, the Israeli feels he has secured a three-year deal on a salary of £1.3 million to succeed Gianfranco Zola. [LNB]West Ham have asked three other clubs for permission to speak to their managers: Blackburn Rovers' Sam Allardyce, Blackpool's Ian Holloway and Cardiff City's David Jones. Holloway and Jones are involved in Saturday's Championship play-off final. [LNB]However, now that Grant has secured his release from the final two years of his contract without compensation being paid he received a sympathetic hearing from Portsmouth's administrator Andrew Andronikou and also argued that the club had made the deal void by defaulting on his wages it appears certain he will take the post. [LNB]The other three contenders are regarded as options only if there is a last-minute hitch with Grant. [LNB]West Ham will conduct a clear-out of players. Sullivan had said that all bar Scott Parker was for sale. Matthew Upson is set to ask for a move and Robert Green is understood to be keen to try to play abroad. [LNB]Alessandro Diamanti has already been told to find a new club while Giullermo Franco will not receive a new contract and is a free agent. The club are unlikely to take up options on Ilan or Mido, who arrived only in January. [LNB]Inter Milan are interested in the young Swiss defender Fabio Daprela, but have not made a bid as yet, while Sullivan is considering a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Jamie O'Hara and may offer either Upson or James Tomkins in exchange. He is also interested in Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng. [LNB]West Ham's attempts to sign France international Sidney Govou have failed. It had been hoped the 30-year-old Lyon striker was close to agreeing a deal, and terms looked to have been reached, but he informed West Ham late on Monday that he was likely to move to Turkey, probably to big-spending Galatasaray. [LNB]On Tuesday West Ham released a "10-point plan" on their website of how Sullivan and David Gold want to take the club forward. The points included the recruitment of a "high-calibre" manager and signing new players because "for too long the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving". [LNB]Meanwhile Zola, who has returned to Italy, is waiting to hear from the League Managers' Association when a date will be set for his Premier League arbitration hearing. Zola he started legal proceedings against West Ham following his sacking last week for an alleged breach of contract. [LNB]
