While the manager says one thing, there’s a chance something else is happening. Wayne Rooney is inching closer towards an exit from Manchester United, and Chelsea seem like the front-runners for the English forward, willing to offer money and Juan Mata or David Luiz to sweeten the deal.
This is something that’s coming from the Daily Mail, so it has to be taken with caution, but it doesn’t seem to far off the truth which is Rooney not being too happy with his status heading into next season at Old Trafford, while Jose Mourinho keeps saying he’s pleased with the players he has, which is code word for looking to sign new players and possibly offload old ones he doesn’t think fit his system.
According to Sportsmail, United have already rejected one offer, which was £10 million in cash plus one of the players – either the attacking midfielder or the Brazilian centre back, in exchange for Rooney. United, at the moment, despite everything David Moyes has said about Rooney, hinting at him being a rotational player at this point, don’t want to sell.
Maybe it’s just about seeing what kind of offers they can get for him instead of actually wanting to get rid of him. In any case, both Mata and Luiz have been rumored to be the likeliest of current Chelsea stars to not be the perfect fit under the second Mourinho regime. However, United haven’t been really looking for a player of Mata’s position and skills, while their centre back efforts have mostly been concentrating on Ezequiel Garay.
Are Chelsea the only team after him? Arsenal have been rumored to make some sort of inquiry about his availability, but haven’t lodged an official offer. Barcelona have also been mentioned once or twice in regards to Rooney, but now that Thiago has signed with Bayern Munich, it doesn’t seem like a likely connection anymore.
As for Rooney, he wants to play, and feel appreciated. It also has to do with the World Cup coming up in less than a year, if England do make it. It’s hard to believe Rooney not being included in the squad for Brazil, but actually becoming a less than vital player for United might hurt his status with the national team, which would be the worst case scenario for Rooney.