According to FCInterNews, West Ham have shown an interest in signing Manchester United's on-loan forward Alexis Sanchez.

What's the word?

The Telegraph reported last week that Sanchez is set to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season, with Inter Milan now expected not to sign him permanently.

The former Arsenal star has struggled to make an impact at the San Siro. Injuries have limited him to just two starts in Serie A, and a mere 199 minutes of action overall.

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The Chile international still has two years remaining on his United contract and takes home up to £500k per week, so having Sanchez back on the books would no doubt impact the Red Devils financially.

However, it appears United could be spared by Premier League rivals West Ham, with FCInterNews claiming that they've requested information on Sanchez from his agent, Fernando Felicevich.

Escape route for Woodward

Sanchez was always something an unnecessary addition for United, one that appeared to be based purely on his availability as his Arsenal contract wound down rather than any real need within the first-team squad.

Jose Mourinho was already struggling to fit Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku into the same starting XI, and tellingly Sanchez has ended up playing in five different positions during his 45 United appearances without producing consistently in any of them.

Throw in the fact Sanchez had already turned 30 when United signed him, and he was a foolish addition that the club's chief executive Ed Woodward should have blocked.

The Red Devils have been left with a huge burden on the wage bill and an ageing player with very little resale value, and ultimately that reflects worst on Woodward - the man behind United's transfer dealings.

Bizarrely though, West Ham have emerged as a potential solution.

What are West Ham thinking?

West Ham have a knack for falling for big reputations. Just look at their current squad: Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Pablo Fornals and Sebastian Haller all arrived at the club after establishing big reputations elsewhere, yet the Irons find themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone having struggled to knit so many illustrious names together.

There are even examples like Arvaro Arbeloa and Patrice Evra, who were brought in as free agents way after they'd started to decline and gave very little service to the club.

Sanchez falls into a similar category. Yes, he was fantastic for Arsenal - earning a place in the 2014/15 PFA Team of the Year - but the end of the current campaign will mark three seasons since he's hit double figures in the league.

He's clearly past his best and considering the money he's on, it's hard to see how this could ever work out as a cost-effective move for the Hammers. Their stupidity though could well be Woodward's gain, with a chance to ensure United don't end up wasting even more money paying Sanchez's wages.

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