It appears that the Manchester United star won’t get his wish after United officials told their Chelsea counterparts that they will not sell Rooney to Chelsea for any price, according to the Guardian.
“Chelsea have already failed with two bids, offering £23 million [$35.5 million] on July 16 and £25 million [$38.6 million] on Aug. 4, and had been convinced United would eventually cave in rather than keep a player whose relationship with the club had deteriorated so badly,” the report says.
“On the contrary, [Manchester United owner] the Glazer family is absolutely determined there will be a show of force at Old Trafford this summer and that means automatically rejecting any further Chelsea bid out of principle. United believe it would be weak in the extreme to bend to player power, no matter how messy it threatens to become before the end of the transfer window, and their position will not change if Rooney hands in a formal transfer request or goes public with his desire to leave.”
Rooney reportedly fell out with former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson last season and subsequently decided it was time to change clubs. This summer has seen the England international become the subject of endless transfer speculation. He has quietly angled for a move to Stamford Bridge, which has left him at odds with his United teammates and fans.
While United has maintained the public stance that Rooney is “not for sale,” the reigning Premier League champion may be preparing for his departure. Rooney’s contract expires in 2015, and the club has given no indication that it wants to extend his stay on current terms (which reportedly pay him around £250,000 a week). Robin van Persie has established himself as the main man in United’s attack, which means Rooney often plays out of position or is relegated to the bench.
United may not be comfortable paying a squad player so much, but the idea of selling Rooney to a rival for the league title seems to be out of the question. Chelsea finished third last season, but the second coming of Jose Mourinho as manager has made Chelsea one of the bookies’ favorites to reign supreme at the end of the season. The new Chelsea boss would love to sign Rooney, as it would strengthen his team and weaken United.
United would prefer to keep a fit and focused Rooney at Old Trafford or sell him to a club in another country if he refuses to represent the club again. Chelsea appears to be the only serious bidder at this point, so it does not look like the standoff will end anytime soon.
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