Updated at 13:30
CHELSEA HAVE HAD an official transfer bid for Wayne Rooney rejected out of hand by Manchester United.
Sky Sports and the BBC initially reported that Chelsea offered United the choice of Juan Mata or David Luiz plus €11.5m, which was rejected by the Premier League champions.
The London club then released this short statement, “Chelsea can confirm that yesterday it made a written offer to Manchester United for the transfer of Wayne Rooney.
“Although the terms of the offer are confidential, for the avoidance of doubt and contrary to what is apparently being briefed to press in Sydney, the proposed purchase price does not include the transfer or loan of any player from Chelsea to Manchester United.”
Rooney handed in a transfer request to United before the end of the season and was dropped for the club’s final two games of their title-winning season. David Moyes, since taking over at Old Trafford, has declared his intention to keep the striker at the club.
Speaking to the media last week, Moyes proclaimed, “Unless I was speaking double Dutch [before], I said Wayne Rooney is not for sale… It’s hard to keep repeating myself but Wayne is a Manchester United player and I’ll repeat that again.”
Rooney flew out to Thailand on United’s preseason tour but returned with a suspected hamstring injury after just two days. In his absence, Moyes explained that he wants the Englishman to play a key role in United’s season but went on to say that he sees Robin van Persie as the club’s main striker.
‘A problem for David to resolve’
Rooney has two years left on his current contract but United’s new chief executive, Ed Woodward recently commented, “Would I be afraid to let a contract run down? Absolutely not.”
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, said “David is not speaking about what Mata could do at Man United or what [Eden] Hazard could do to their squad. I think I have to be ethical and respect the situation. It is a problem for David to resolve.
If it is a problem for anyone it is [England boss] Roy Hodgson because it is a World Cup season and if Wayne is second choice for Man United, the national team would be affected. That’s to do with them not me.”
Subtle, Jose. Subtle.
*Story first published at 11am
