Wayne Rooney

[Sydney Gooner]

EXCLUSIVE

By Wayne Veysey ¦ Chief Correspondent

Arsenal and Chelsea have joined the scramble to sign Wayne Rooney this summer, Goal.com has learned.

The two London heavyweights have registered their interest in the Manchester United forward after being alerted to his potential availability.

Goal.com understands that Rooney’s resolve to leave Old Trafford has been strengthened by the impending appointment of David Moyes, who will be confirmed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor on Thursday.

Sources have said that the striker, who has had his differences with Moyes in the past, is unwilling to work under his former boss and his first manager in professional football.

England’s talisman told Sir Alex two weeks ago that he wanted a transfer at the end of the season but the Scot made it clear that the club were not willing to sell him.

Rooney has grown increasingly frustrated with his downgrade in status at Old Trafford, which culminated in him being dropped for United’s biggest game of the season, the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid

As revealed by Goal.com in March, the 27-year-old harboured doubts about his future long before the Real showdown. He is believed to have told team-mates during the international break in the first week of February that he could leave United in the summer.

All of Europe’s leading clubs have been alerted to Rooney’s situation in recent days.

Paris Saint-Germain had expressed an interest earlier in the year but Chelsea, Bayern Munich and, more surprisingly, Arsenal have now asked to be kept informed of developments in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer.

Rooney has two years remaining on a United contract worth more than £200,000-a-week, which makes him out of reach for all but a an elite minority of the world’s richest clubs.

United had been ready to offer Rooney a new four-year deal this summer but they would be unlikely to match the terms of his current package, preferring instead to present a more incentivised contract alongside a lower basic wage.

That is unlikely to be palatable to the player and his long-time agent Paul Stretford, who want to test the market and see what is on offer elsewhere.

The new Premier League champions have insisted Rooney is "not for sale" but they could be hemmed into a corner if the striker pushes hard for a transfer as his current £25 million value will quickly depreciate once he enters the final 24 months of his contract without extending it.

Arsenal and Chelsea are both in the market for marquee forwards in the forthcoming transfer window, which opens in 11 days' time.

As revealed by Goal.com on Tuesday, Arsenal are in advanced talks with Fiorentina to sign Stevan Jovetic and Arsène Wenger is also targeting a second marquee striker signing this summer, with Robert Lewandowski and Edin Dzeko among those on his shortlist.

Wenger, who had the biggest transfer kitty of his 17-year reign available to him this summer, has made no secret in the past of the admiration he holds for Rooney.

The striker’s wage demands would appear to price Arsenal out of the equation, but Thierry Henry was paid the equivalent of £200,000-a-week in the final year of his first spell at the club and the Gunners will be loosening the purse strings this summer to attract A-list talent outside of their tight wage structure.

Chelsea’s top forward target has been Radamel Falcao and a deal is in place for the Colombian to join from Atletico Madrid for around £50m in the summer.

But billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has a history of statement signings, particularly if they weaken a rival, and the Europa League finalists are regarded as serious players in what is developing into a race for Rooney’s signature.

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[Hunta]

I called it, it's happening, off to buy my Shrek #18 (or whatever number he was before 10) shirt.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

LoL at goal.com and their "EXCLUSIVE", i can't see this happening cuz Rooney is on 250k a week we can't offer him that.

 

[jmsmtthw28]

Who's going to pay his 200k+ wages

 

[Buhry]

I called it, it's happening, off to buy my Shrek #18 (or whatever number he was before 10) shirt.

Allthough a great player when in form, I don't think he's as good as he used to be and he does seem to go through spells of... Unfitness?

With the sort of transfer fee and wages he'd command I'd rather we went for someone else. If he came here he could be a big hit or maybe he'd become another Arshavin as he's closing on 30, wouldn't suprse me either.

Seems extremely unlikely anyway, made up story.

If we're willing to pay 30+ millions and 200k a week for someone (which I doubt) we might as well try for someone like Cavani. Not that I can see that happening, either.

And finally it's shrek and I can't say I've ever liked him so....

 

[pg1989]

If this link is actually real I'd be over the moon. Unlikely but still. Would love a strike with a big pair of cahones like Wayne. He oozes class and I'm sure Wenger would get him the service he needs to get back to his besy.

 

[dpt49]

I remember Wenger saying what a great player Rooney was when he was still at Everton, and that he would love to have him at Arsenal but could never afford him.
As nothing has change, regards to our spending pattern, this is clearly not going to happen.
I could only see him going to either Chelsea or Man City, if he is going to stay in the PL.

If he does go to Chelsea, everyone from London had better lock up their grannies.

 

[leo_ense]

Someone made a transfer thread on the back of a goal.com article? ffs

 

[kofigunner]

Goals he will score, no doubt. However, I'd prefer a high earning professional who'd not be chomping on pork pies and having questions about fitness ala Arshavin. I'd be very surprised if he left Man U though. If Moyes were to come to Man U, Rooney would probably be the advanced CAM type and not playing as deep as he is now.

 

[MDGoonah41]

if we can afford a big fee and 200k per week, we should just sign falcao or cavani

i'll never forgive shrek for his part in ending the invincibles run. **** that guy

 

[Sydney Gooner]

Come on now Leo its not like during your quest to monopolise the transfer rumours forum you've never used questionable rumours to start a player thread.

If the likes of the Daily Mail, Mirror and the Metro are used as sources to start threads I don't see why goal.com can't.

 

[rich 1990]

There is just zero chance of this happening.

 

[CurryFlavoured]

Never ever happening

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Not happening, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I wouldn't like him here.

 

[arsmile]

there are about 12 players I would take from united ahead of him


we wouldn't suit his ****tosity

 

[Bigbludfire]

if we can afford a big fee and 200k per week, we should just sign falcao or cavani

So true

 

[future heroes]

Rooney is a disgusting player that represents a lot of things that are wrong with modern football, but he has been mis-managed by Ferguson who should had bought a midfielder instead of constantly playing Rooney out of position. I expected Rooney to leave United after being benched in the second leg against Real Madrid.

However, even if Rooney would reduce his wage demands significantly, I would never ever want the cheating **** at Arsenal.

 

[Glovegun]

Rooney might be a ****, but that's no reason not to buy him. Plenty of players are ****s. Personality should only really come into it in the case of seriously reprehensible individuals. Suarez being one such example. Or Lee Hughes. Or Marlon King. Racists and rapists.

Rooney is pretty horrible at times, but he's an idiot more than anything else.

He's been in the public eye since he was 16 years old. The only time he has to actually do anything for himself is when he steps onto a football pitch. All the usual things that someone might do between 16 and 27 (take exams, apply for a job, save up for a mortgage) he's never had to do. If he has, they've been done by a football club or agent. Footballers don't ever really grow up.

I always wonder about this when people slag footballers off. 99% of what you see them doing is being driven by a third party - an agent, a PR employee of the club, a Nike brand merchandiser. Whoever. Rooney's autobiography where he slagged off David Moyes is a good example. Rooney was 21 when it was published. I doubt he could hold a pen let alone write a book. It's been created by a ghost writer at the request of an agent, yet the only person who gets attacked is Rooney.

I don't like the bloke but I'd still take him at Arsenal, no question.

 

[GDeep™]

Am I the only who doesn't read goal.com? 200K Wayne Rooney to Arsenal? Come on.

Wouldn't want Rooney anyway, hasn't lived up to expectations, leaves alot to be desired most times and as Ferguson said himself, Rooney due his physical make up takes time to hit peak fitness levels after extended time out.

Good player don't get me wrong, but there are tons of other players who I would prefer above Rooney.

 

[ArsenesNO1Fan]

Never happening as we won't pay his wages and they wouldn't sell to us but we could realistically finance it and he would be a monster false 9 for us and score 30 plus a season. Wenger would get more out of him than Fergy imo. I'd certainly take him over any striker 30m or under