Manchester United’s striker Wayne Rooney is rumored to be on the verge of exiting Old Trafford for a possible transfer to China. Reports have emerged that his agent, Paul Stretford, is in China trying to strike a deal on the purported move.
There is no guarantee that the deal will push through before the transfer window closes on 28 Feb.
But since Rooney’s agent has made the journey to travel could be an indication that Jose Mourihno is preparing to let go of the 31-year-old, reports BBC.
If that move will not take place this month, high chances are it will happen during the summer period.
Mourihno’s reign at Manchester United has seen Wayne Rooney become a less favorite.
The England captain has been aware that the Chinese Super League has interests in him, although there is no outright information regarding the clubs Stretford has spoken to.
The two most likely clubs that were speculated to be eying Rooney have ruled out such a possibility.
Beijing Guoan, believed to be the favourite team of Chinese President Xi, had been seen as one of the favorite to sign Rooney. However, the club sources leaked information to media houses stating that they have no intention of signing the striker.
Then there is Tianjin Quanjiann which has already been approached by the England captain’s representatives. But Coach Fabio Cannavaro said that these talks did not turn out productive.
Jose Mourihno on the other hand has helped advance further the likelihood of Rooney moving. He said on Tuesday that he is not sure whether the striker, who just emerged from a hamstring injury, would still be at Old Trafford in a week’s time.
The four clubs to which Rooney is likely to move to include Tianjin Quanjian, Jiangsu Suning, Beijing Guoan and Hebei China Fortune.
Think twice Rooney
But Rooney has been advised by Jack Sealy, a 29-year-old who plays for Changchun Yatai in the north of the country. Sealy warned that the conditions in China may be rather different and he may end up regretting.
He said that China and Manchester are completely parallel to each other. He may find it hard to spot any similarities. The differences are all in the culture, type of food eaten, different people and more importantly, different football. He has to get ready for that and its vital that he remembers it before signing any given deal.
“My simple advice to Wayne would be to stick to a club that is near or in the southern cities of Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou. These places are modern, developed and have an international population.”
It is understood that Rooney’s preference is to remain at Old Trafford until his contract expires in 2019. However, the failure to get sufficient amount of time at in the pitch is said to be the driving force for his planned exit.
Rooney is currently the top scorer at United and has helped the club win 5 Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy. The forward, who has started only three games since 17 December, has said he would not play for an English club other than United or Everton
He joined Manchester United from Everton at the age of 18 in 2004 for £27m.