The Hammers will struggle to meet Arsenal's valuation of the Englishman

Jenkinson has been in impressive form for Sam Allardyce's West Ham

West Ham have approached Arsenal about making Carl Jenkinson's move a permanent one and been quoted a whopping £12million.

The England Under 21 international is on a season-long loan at Upton Park and has impressed manager Sam Allardyce with his performances and attitude but a permanent deal will be difficult to seal at that price.

The 22-year-old has made 20 appearances already this season as opposed to 22 in the whole of the last campaign with Arsenal and last month underlined how he has developed under Allardyce.

Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson has been in impressive form since joining the Hammers on loan

Jenkinson, pictured with Stewart Downing, joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal

'I didn’t want to have another season sitting on the bench,' Jenkinson said. 'It was starting to drive me up the wall a little bit, I wanted to get out and play football, and I’ve realised that I’m happiest when I’m playing regular football.

'I didn’t want to go on loan to a team that was just going to kick the ball long. I wanted to go to a team where I was going to learn and improve and I think I’m definitely doing that here at West Ham.

'We focus on defending in training and we do a lot of work on one-v-ones and heading and I feel I’ve developed in those areas. He’s given me the licence to get forward and express myself. I know what I’m capable of.'

Allardyce believes two or three extra additions will shape his squad into regular top-six contenders and the purchase of Jenkinson would not only be good continuity but prove a good investment for the future.

However, West Ham will struggle to meet Arsenal's demands. They will reassess their budget in the summer and hope that Jenkinson can also push for the move.