JOE COLE was asked to ‘name his price’ by West Ham owner David Sullivan as the club attempted to lure the Chelsea midfielder back home to Upton Park.

Cole, who is battling to win a place in Fabio Capello’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup this summer, was approached by Sullivan in what was a bold effort to entice him back to where his career began. However, the 28-year-old, whose contract with Chelsea expires this summer, rejected the co-chairman’s advances.

“I’d love to sign Joe Cole,” Sullivan told the Daily Mail. “We’ve asked Joe Cole but Joe Cole said no. We asked him to name his price but he said he didn’t want to come back.”

Sullivan admitted he is targeting up to 50 players, but accepts the club ‘might sign four or five’, depending ‘who goes’.

Cole moved to Chelsea from the Hammers for £6.6m in 2003 and has been widely linked with a move to Manchester United and Tottenham.