Transfer latest

The speculation regarding player movement continues unabated ... here's a round-up of all the latest gossip.

Ins...

* Young Italian striker Mario Balotelli has asked to leave Inter. The 17-year-old son of Ghanaian immigrants, who is being monitored by the Hammers recently signed a three year deal with the Italian giants but was disappointed at being left out of recent games. It is reported that the Milan-based club have persuaded him to stay until the summer, at least.

...and outs

* The Daily Mirror, never the most reliable of sources are claiming that Newcastle are set to make an offer worth around £500,000 for Nigel Quashie. The midfielder spent three months on laon at Birmingham recently before returning to East London after being replaced by another Hammer, Lee Bowyer who has joined the Championship club on loan for the rest of the season.

* Luis Boa Morte's agent has denied reports linking his client with a move to Hull City, just as Hull boss Phil Brown did last weekend. A £2million move had been mooted earlier in the week. Despite the mass denials today's Independent reports that the Hammers have given Boa Morte permission to discuss a move with the newly-promoted club.

* In one of the most blatant examples of agent-driven news so far this window, Herita Ilunga's representative Daniel Striani has denied reports linking his client with a move to Liverpool after Fench daily L'Equipe claimed that Rafa Benitez was interested in taking the on-loan full back. Ilunga is yet to be offered a full-time contract by the Hammers despite both parties speaking positively about the situation.

* Calum Davenport's proposed £3million switch to Bolton has fallen through after the Trotters decided instead to go for French centre-half Sebastien Puygrenier. Birmingham are now favourites to land the former Coventry player after City boss Alex McLeish said: "Karren [Brady] had been talking with West Ham United and we left our proposal with them. Whether they now come back to us, that's a possibility."

* The Hammers have rejected a second bid of around £9million for Craig Bellamy, a number of sources have revealed - but Manchester City are expected to come back with an improved third bid sometime in the next week. Bellamy scored his third goal since Christmas at Newcastle on Saturday.