West Ham are hoping to sign Shakhtar Donetsk left-back Razvan Rat on a cut-price deal before the transfer window closes on Thursday evening.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has been left short in defence after seeing George McCartney ruled out through injury, while his young stand-in Daniel Potts has been sidelined after suffering a concussion in last week's defeat to Arsenal.

Razvan Rat
Razvan Rat in action for Shakhtar Donetsk [Reuters]

A loan deal for Emmanuel Pogatetz was agreed yesterday, and while the defender can play on the left, his preferred position is still in the centre.

Sky Sports believes that Allardyce will now turn his attention to Rat who may well be available on the cheap as his contract with the Ukrainian side runs out at the end of the season.

The vastly experienced 31-year-old would be a major coup for West Ham as he has been instrumental in helping Shakhtar become the powerhouse in Ukrainian football.

Rat has won six league titles, the Ukrainian Cup on four occasions and was a consistent performer the year they claimed the UEFA Cup back in 2009.

He has played more than 300 games for Shakhtar in his nine-and-a-half years with the club, whilst also appearing 86 times for Romania.

It is believed that Shakhtar would prefer to receive a fee in January, rather than allow the defender to run out his contract and leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

West Ham are clearly keen to recruit some experience in defence having endured a difficult run of just two wins in their last 12 Premier League games.

In that time they have conceded 22 goals, with their biggest defeat coming in their last game when, after taking the lead, they went on to let in five goals against a rampant Arsenal at the Emirates.