Darren Bent last night turned down a move to West Ham United in the hope of securing a switch to Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham had agreed a fee of £16 million plus Hayden Mullins, the midfield player, for the Charlton Athletic forward.

Bent had been offered a five-year contract worth about £75,000 a week during talks at Upton Park yesterday — which would have made him the joint-highest paid player at the club with Scott Parker, the midfield player, who joined from Newcastle United last week. West Ham were the only club willing to meet the asking price of about £17 million, but Bent’s decision raises several issues.

Alan Pardew, the Charlton manager, may now be hampered in the transfer market because he needed the sale to fund signings and is unlikely to be able to obtain the same fee from other bidders.

Tottenham are believed to be willing to offer only £12 million and Liverpool have at least four other preferred targets. Those two clubs will not be willing to pay Bent more than £55,000 a week, which is double his wage at The Valley.

“West Ham were the only club to meet our valuation,” Peter Varney, the Charlton chief executive, said. “Darren has decided not to join them.”

It is a significant blow to Alan Curbishley, the West Ham manager. He signed Bent for Charlton from Ipswich Town for £2.5 million two years ago. The forward has since scored 31 goals in 68 league appearances, although his strike-rate against the top sides has not been as favourable.

He scored only once in the eight meetings with the top-four sides in his first season in the Barclays Premiership, but he fared better this term, when he scored two in four matches against the same sides. By comparison, Andrew Johnson, the Everton forward, scored 21 league goals for Crystal Palace when they were relegated two years ago.

Curbishley has not found it easy signing players, despite having about £40 million to spend. He lost out on Mark Viduka, the Middlesbrough forward, and Joey Barton, the Manchester City midfield player, both of whom moved to Newcastle. Jermain Defoe, the Tottenham Hotspur striker, is unlikely to be interested in a return to Upton Park. Curbishley may now turn to Craig Bellamy, the Liverpool forward.