Chelsea Told They Must Sign Andy Carroll Permanently in Order for West Ham to Consider Selling

Chelsea's bid to sign Andy Carroll on loan from West Ham looks set to be unsuccessful with the Hammers only prepared to listen to permanent offers for the former Liverpool striker.

The Evening Standard reports that Carroll has emerged as a surprise target for Chelsea as Antonio Conte is keen to add another forward to the squad this month to provide back-up to top scorer Alvaro Morata. 

David Moyes could be having a clear-out of his strikers in January with Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Javier Hernandez all linked with moves away from the club. 

The fact Chelsea are even considering a move for Carroll, who has struggled to play regularly for several seasons due to injuries, highlights Conte's lack of faith in Michy Batshuayi. 

The Belgian was only a sub during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Leicester on Saturday, which was the Blues' third goalless draw in a row following their FA Cup draw with Norwich City and the 1st leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal. 

Carroll's latest return from injury came in West Ham's recent 3-2 home defeat to Newcastle and he popped up with two goals in the Hammers' crucial win over West Brom during the Christmas period. 

In total, Carroll has 32 goals in 124 appearances for the club but he has only made 24 appearances in the Premier League in the past two seasons.