WEST HAM UNITED have edged closer to landing Newcastle United target Andy Carroll after agreeing a £15m fee for the Liverpool striker.

Carroll must now decide whether or not to give up aspirations he holds to make a success of his Anfield career or forget about the possibility of a return to St James' Park.

The Hammers have moved quickly to try to sign the England striker on a permanent basis after a successful loan deal helped the Upton Park outfit finish mid-table in their first season back in the Premier League.

It is an early blow to Newcastle's summer transfer plans given how they had been hoping to land the 24—year-old for less than the £15m accepted by Liverpool, despite receiving a British record £35m for him 28 months ago.

Only last Friday Magpies boss Alan Pardew admitted “anybody in the Premier League has got to be interested if he became available”.

But Newcastle have always expressed a reluctance to pay more than £10m for a player also earning £90,000-a-week at the Merseyside club.

Carroll only managed to score six goals in 44 appearances for Liverpool and when Brendan Rodgers took over he decided the England forward did not suit the style of play he wanted his team to play.

The Gateshead-born front-man struggled with injury before the New Year at West Ham, but then rekindled his understanding with former Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan to rack up seven goals.

Now Sam Allardyce, the West Ham boss, has made the move immediately after the end of the Premier League season to try to sign him up permanently.

And with the prospect of playing regularly next season in a World Cup year, he is said to be warming to the idea of the deal despite a preference to rejoin Newcastle.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, set for end of season talks with owner Mike Ashley to discuss the summer's recruitment plans, must decide just how much they want Carroll back in his squad.

Financially Carroll would not slot smoothly in to the model Ashley has built in the last couple of years, although Pardew is desperate to bring in a couple of new strikers before August.

St Etienne's Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains on Newcastle's radar, while another forward who has previously been under consideration is Vitesse Arnhem's Wilfried Bony. Both are likely to cost in excess of £10m.

And if West Ham are able to complete the deal for Carroll then they are unlikely to pursue a deal for the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international, who finished as the Eredivisie's leading scorer with 31 goals.

Carroll has had to pull out of the England squad for this summer's friendlies with the Republic of Ireland on May 29 and in Brazil on June 2. His heel injury is expected to mean a six-week lay-off, leaving plenty of spare time to sort out his future.