According to a report from the Telegraph, West Ham are set to enter talks with Stoke City for midfielder Joe Allen, and £7 million could be enough to get the job done.

The Hammers desperately need to strengthen in central midfield. Sky Sports reported last week that a centre midfielder is one of two priority signings that David Moyes is looking to make this month.

And it seems as though the 29-year-old Stoke man has been identified as the ideal man for the job.

The Telegraph claims that talks between West Ham and the Potters are set to take place soon, and the Championship outfit could sell the 56-capped Wales international for around £7 million.

Good signing?

Allen is a decent footballer, but he is hardly the box-to-box type player the Hammers’ should be after.

The Stoke ace is more of a play-maker, and whilst he possesses a lot of impressive attributes, it is hard to imagine that he could help take West Ham to the next level.

In the owners’ eyes, however, £7 million for an established international will represent fantastic business.

It is clear that David Sullivan and David Gold like to do things on the cheap, and it could be argued that Allen would actually be worth a punt at £7 million.

The 29-year-old wouldn’t be the most glamorous of signings, but he would do a job for West Ham.