According to The Times, Potter and The Hammers are at odds over the proposed length of his contract. West Ham are only said to be offering the 49-year-old a deal until the end of the season, while he wants a more long-term agreement.

That development could now open the door for Everton. Sky Sports have reported that the Merseyside club are also targeting Potter, as the future of Sean Dyche continues to look perilous.

The club's new owners, The Friedkin Group, have been discussing the situation this week. It follows the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, with The Toffees having failed to score in eight out of their past 10 matches.

Potter is said to keen to negotiate with both clubs. But on Monday Night Football, pundit Jamie Carragher said it was difficult to outline which opportunity would be the best for Potter to accept.

"I think it's more of a 50-50 decision now," he said. "And maybe right now you would veer more towards West Ham because they are probably more guaranteed to stay in the Premier League.

"The fact that I think Potter would choose West Ham over Everton, it's probably sad really that I'm saying it's a 50-50. Because in my mind, Everton are a much bigger club than West Ham."

Everton currently lie 16th in the table, just one point clear of the relegation zone. West Ham are in 14th after the heavy losses to Liverpool and Manchester City, but are still seven clear of the bottom three.

Potter previously spent three years in the Premier League in charge of Brighton, after joining from Swansea. He was lauded for both the style of the play and the progress he made with the Seagulls, but lasted less than a season at Chelsea after replacing Thomas Tuchel in September 2022.