West Ham United finances saw them miss out on Everton striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni this week.
The Guardian says although Liverpool indicated a late interest in Carlton Cole before yesterday's closing of the transfer window, which may have allowed Ryan Babel to join in his place, manager Avram Grant's preference would have been to keep the England striker while also adding a 15-goals-a-season striker to his squad, such as Yakubu.
But West Ham could not raise the necessary £5 million to make the deal happen.