West Ham are ready to launch an ambitious bid to bring crowd favourite Bobby Zamora back to Upton Park.
The England forward is ready to leave Fulham after falling out of favour with manager Martin Jol and is a target for several Barclays Premier League clubs.
However, he is reluctant to leave London, where he and his family are settled.
Despite the evident gamble, Zamora would be willing to drop down a division in the hope of making a quick return to the top flight with Sam Allardyce's side.
The 30-year-old is valued at around £8million and would stretch West Ham's budget but his signing would be a massive boost for the club he helped out of the Championship in 2005.
Sunderland, Aston Villa and Everton are also interested in Zamora but while Sunderland could afford him the others will have to sell first. Tottenham, who have been linked with Zamora in the past, are looking for younger players.