Hammers nail down Carroll on loan deal

West Ham United last night pulled off the coup of the transfer window as they signed England striker Andy Carroll on a season-long loan deal.

The 23-year-old — who cost Liverpool £35m last January — has moved to the Boleyn Ground for the rest of the campaign, with the Hammers having the option to complete a permanent deal next summer.

Carroll, who became the most-expensive English footballer in history when he joined Liverpool from Newcastle, could make his Hammers debut tomorrow against Fulham.

“I just can’t wait to get started,” Carroll said. “I want to be playing games and obviously hoping to score some goals.”

Elsewhere, QPR were set to seal an ambitious swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero last night, with the final 24 hours of the transfer window looming large.

The Spanish champions have accepted an undisclosed fee for the 25-year-old, who will move to Loftus Road subject to agreeing personal terms and passing a medical before the window closes at 11pm tonight.

Meanwhile, Manchester City are expected to add Swansea winger Scott Sinclair to their ranks before the window slams shut.

The 23-year-old has rejected the opportunity to sign a new contract with the Swans, who rejected a £6.2 million (€7.8m) offer for their player’s services on Tuesday.

However, a restructured offer of £6.2m with add-ons that could see the fee rise to over £8m (€10.1m) has now been accepted, and Sinclair is currently holding talks over personal terms.

Meanwhile, Dimitar Berbatov could seal his exit from Manchester United after agreeing to undergo a medical at Fulham yesterday.

The Bulgarian striker was expected to discuss terms with Serie A outfit Fiorentina on Wednesday but did not arrive at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.