West Ham United midfielder Ravel Morrison denied a transfer as his club dig in over £10m fee There is a clause in Morrison's contract that states West Ham must increase his earnings to £60,000 a week if the club receive a £10 million bid and Sullivan and Gold are using that as a price guide for the England Under-21 international. However, West Ham accept they will have little option but to sell Morrison for a reduced fee if the club are relegated to the Championship at the end of the season. Sam Allardyce, the manager, ­singled out Morrison for praise after the 3-0 Capital One Cup semi-final second-leg defeat by Manchester City. "Ravel looked comfortable and he tried to find the right space and the right pass," Allardyce said. He worked quite hard, which is always important, so we'll look for him to keep that up. Meulensteen worked with Morrison at Manchester United and had been desperate to land Morrison this month, but has now made a move for Steven Defour, the Belgium midfielder at Porto. Newcastle could make a bid for Morrison in the summer if the former United youngster performs well for the rest of the campaign. West Ham are hoping to clinch the signing of Roma striker Marco Borriello on loan until the end of the season after failing with an initial bid to sign prolific Feyenoord forward Graziano Pelle. Borriello had been reluctant to join a Premier League relegation battle with the east London club, but the 31-year-old is now thought to be close to agreeing an agreement with the Upton Park club. It is unclear whether the signing of Borriello would end West Ham's interest in Pelle, who Feyenoord value at about £8 million. Borriello has had a peripatetic career, having twice been sent out on loan by Roma in the past three years and to seven clubs in his eight years at Milan, his first club. However, at 6ft 1in, his height, power and experience should suit Allardyce's direct style of play. The Italian has been capped seven times by his country.