West Ham are being linked with a dramatic swoop for Manchester United's former Hammers Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand. 

Carrick, 32, has been a mainstay of the United side since joining the Red Devils from Tottenham Hotspur in a £16m deal in 2006, whilst Ferdinand, 35, has been equally pivotal in United's success since his £30m move from Leeds United four years earlier. 

Ferdinand's contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the current campaign, with the former England captain used increasingly sparingly by David Moyes.

With only nine league starts to his name this term, the Peckham-born centre-half is expected to leave United at the end of the season, but his future is far from clear cut, with a number of business interests away from the field.

A deal for Carrick seems less plausible, but the deep-lying midfielder has struggled alongside Marouane Fellaini and a new central midfielder is believed to be top of Moyes' list of priorities when the transfer window re-opens.