West Ham are thought to be preparing a double bid for strikers Jermain Defoe and Craig Bellamy.

Manager Alan Curbishley will be backed in the transfer market this summer by owner Eggert Magnusson after a poor season in which the club were almost relegated from the Premiership, and sees strengthening his forward line as a priority.

And Defoe and Bellamy are Curbishley's top targets after he was told Everton's Andrew Johnson is not for sale.

Tottenham striker Defoe, a former Hammers player, is still largely unpopular at Upton Park for his decision to quit the club for White Hart Lane in 2004, but Curbishley views him as one of the best finishers in the country.

Curbishley is also a big fan of Bellamy who looks on his way out of Liverpool, but he will face competition from a number of Premiership clubs.

Some reports this morning suggest midfielder Yossi Benayoun could move to Liverpool as part of the Bellamy deal even though he has been offered a new five-year deal at Upton Park.