Until we see Wayne Rooney start playing for Manchester United once again, we won’t be sure a potential departure is in the cards for him. However, despite reports from Spain, it’s highly unlikely that Barcelona are actually one of the teams trying to sign him.
According to reports in the UK, Rooney no longer wants to leave Manchester United. He’s pleased that his time under Alex Ferguson is over, feeling he wasn’t treated fairly or positioned adequately last season, and hopes that under David Moyes it’ll be more of playing in the front three or at least as the attacking midfielder.
However, Rooney is also asking that United make it clear to the public and especially the Manchester United fans that he never actually requested to leave the club last season, something that Alex Ferguson and his assistant Mike Phelan mentioned in interviews over the last few months.
In Spain, and especially coming from Sport, things are a little bit different. They keep insisting Barcelona would love to add Wayne Rooney to their strike force which currently includes Lionel Messi and Neymar, and are willing to offer €25 million and the unwanted David Villa in exchange for the England international, who has spent the last decade playing for the Red Devils, winning five league titles and one Champions League trophy.
Even though it’s not that likely to happen, this is a deal United should take. Rooney isn’t going to get any better, and there isn’t room for him to play with Robin van Persie up front, which means Rooney is moving around no matter what. Unless they’re planning on giving up on Shinji Kagawa, Rooney seems like an odd man out, as winger isn’t usually his best position, especially on the right, not to mention the financial benefits coming from such a deal, including getting rid of Rooney’s immense salary.
Will something like this happen? Probably not. Rooney doesn’t seem to be a player that fits the Barcelona mold, and after already spending so much on Neymar, purchasing another player in a similar position just doesn’t make any sense.