West Ham are weighing up whether to go higher to sign Stoke City attacker Marko Arnautovic.

The London Evening Standard says West Ham are considering whether to make a third bid for Arnautovic after seeing a second bid worth £20 million rejected by Stoke City.

Arnautovic submitted a transfer request after West Ham's initial bid of £15m but for now Stoke are holding firm, insisting they will not sell one of their best players unless the price is right.

West Ham will have to pay a substantial fee if they are to lure Arnautovic away from Stoke, where he has three years remaining on his contract.

The Austrian forward has emerged as Slaven Bilic's first-choice target as he looks to add pace and power in wide areas, with West Ham planning on using Arnautovic in a dynamic three alongside Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio in support of a central striker.