West Ham keen on signing Wayne Rooney - report

The Hammers want to bolster their attacking options and the 31-year-old, who has only started nine Premier League matches under manager Jose Mourinho this season, fits the bill.

His contract runs out in 2019 but he could well leave at the end of this season.

If that is the case, West Ham would be keen, according to Sky Sports.

Rooney has also courted interest from Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Beijing Guoan and Jiangsu Suning but last month the England captain insisted he wanted to remain at Old Trafford.

Even the source quoted in the story seems pessimistic about this move. 'Never say never', is the quote about a potential transfer.

There are many mid-ranking Premier League clubs interested in Rooney but, in reality, there would almost certainly be too many obstacles to make this happen – not least Rooney's huge wages of £260,000 a week.

The striker will probably not want to take a cut in salary with only a few seasons of his career remaining, and, given his proclaimed love for United, moving abroad would seem like the only possible outcome.