WEST HAM will offer Robbie Keane an escape route from White Hart Lane with a six-month loan deal, according to reports.

The Daily Telegraph claims the Hammers are keen to bring the striker to Upton Park from Tottenham on a six-month contract, with a view to a permanent three-year deal, should the Irishman help keep the club in the Premier League.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already confirmed that Keane is likely to depart in the January transfer window, and West Ham have emerged as one of the frontrunners for his signature.

Redknapp may opt to use Keane as a makeweight in a bid to take Scott Parker to the Lane, with the Spurs manager having already been unsuccessful in signing the combative midfielder in the summer.

Jamie O'Hara is also understood to be attracting the attention of West Ham manager Avram Grant, although the midfielder's injury problems could mean the club look elsewhere, with Aston Villa's Steve Sidwell another option.