MANCHESTER UNITED are ready to play a dangerous waiting game in the Wayne Rooney transfer saga, threatening to retreat from the negotiating table in the belief that they are the only club he truly wants to join. United had an opening £20 million bid rejected by Everton yesterday, with Newcastle United having already failed with an improved second offer, but Sir Alex Ferguson and his board are prepared to wait in the belief that Everton will be forced to sell for less than their £25 million valuation.
Despite having been rushed into action by Newcastle’s first offer on Monday and by subsequent indications that Rooney may consider moving to the North East, United remain confident that they are in a strong bargaining position. They may raise their bid to about £23.5 million, the same figure that Newcastle have already turned down, but they feel they will not need to go any higher if, as they firmly believe, the England forward’s preference is a move to Old Trafford.
United expect to reach an agreement with Everton and Rooney before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, but, unless it seems that he is about to join Newcastle, they may be content to wait until the January transfer window, by which time his valuation may have dropped farther. Everton are aware of this possibility, with the player unwilling to sign a new contract, and would prefer to sell Rooney now if, as it seems, he and his advisers are intent on securing a move away from Merseyside.
David Gill, the United chief executive, was saying little yesterday afternoon as he left the Champions League draw in Monaco. “All I can tell you is what we told the Stock Exchange this morning, which was to confirm that we had made a bid for Wayne,” he said. “A lot can happen in five days (until the deadline), but we’ve got to do what’s right for Manchester United, what’s right for Wayne Rooney and what’s right for Everton. It takes three to effect a transfer and we’ll see what happens.”
Having already committed funds to the expansion of Old Trafford and made clear his unwillingness to borrow in order to finance new signings, Gill is considering how best to structure any new bid. The preference would be to pay the fee in instalments rather than as a lump sum, something that may not appeal to Everton. An alternative would be for United to offer a fringe player in part exchange, but there is no guarantee that the likes of Phil Neville or even David Bellion would be prepared to join Everton.
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Louis Saha, whom United signed from Fulham for £12.8 million just seven months ago, has been reported as a possible makeweight in the deal, but he insists that he would welcome the acquisition of Rooney. “If United take big players like that, it can only be good for the team,” the France forward said. “It’s not a problem for me.”
Bill Kenwright, the Everton chairman, has said that there is an “inevitability” about the departure of Rooney, but he may have jeopardised his relationship with David Moyes, the manager, by saying that any sale would be the manager’s decision. “We don’t need to sell Wayne Rooney,” Kenwright said. “Whatever happens with the sale, if it happens, it will be down to the manager. It ‘s the manager’s final decision.”
Moyes, whose relationship with Rooney has broken down over the affair, is certain to demand an explanation from his chairman, but he will be appeased slightly by last night’s news that Everton have secured an anonymous £7 million investment, independent of the anticipated £20 million from the Fortress Sports Fund. Moyes hopes to spend that money on new players and is understood to have agreed to a £1.5 million fee to sign Djimi Traoré, the French defender, from Liverpool.
It was rumoured yesterday that Chelsea might join the auction for Rooney, but José Mourinho, the manager, insisted that he was happy to sit back and watch United and Newcastle slug it out.