West Ham targeting surprise move for Liverpool midfielder

Joe Cole could be set for a shock return to West Ham before the end of the transfer window.

The Liverpool midfielder has struggled to make an impact at Anfield since moving up north from Chelsea three years ago.

And with Brendan Rodgers radically altering the club’s playing style it is believed he is keen to offload a lot of the squad he has inherited from previous regimes.

Cole is believed to be among the players at Liverpool who have been told they can leave the club and West Ham, who brought the 30-year-old through their academy, have agreed a deal in principle for him to make a sensational return to Upton Park.

Any deal is far from being completed at the moment, and talkSPORT understands Cole’s future will become clearer by the middle of the week.

A formal offer is being prepared by Hammers’ chiefs and then the decision will rest with Cole.