West Ham are still interested in Stoke City's Joe Allen and a deal could go through before the deadline.

David Moyes wants to strengthen his midfield this month and the Hammers were dealt a real blow when target Gedson Fernandes completed an initial loan move to rivals Tottenham today.

Therefore, the Premier League side have been forced to look elsewhere and Football Insider have revealed that a move for Allen is still on the cards.

They claim that agents are saying that West Ham are in a good position to do a deal, with the player open to the transfer as well.

The sticking point appears to be agreeing a fee with the Potters and the report states whilst Stoke have lowered their initial £15m demands, they were not willing to accept a £5m offer made from the Londoners initially.

Any deal would be a blow to boss Michael O'Neill as the Welsh international has been a regular since he took over and for the Staffordshire outfit all season - featuring in 25 league games.

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The verdict

Looking from the outside it seems as though this move is inevitable, with Stoke looking to shift their big earners this month.

Allen would command a decent fee and is on huge wages, so I feel an agreement will be reached before the deadline. Right now, negotiations aren't going well but this update suggests talks haven't ended.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out as you would imagine this deal could have a big impact on Stoke in terms of incomings as well.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.