Only one story in town today: Manchester United will sell Wayne Rooney this summer, according to several newspapers.
- Eurosport - Daily Telegraph sport, 7th March 2013
Sir Alex Ferguson omitted Rooney from his starting line-up for United's biggest game of the season against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
The Daily Mirror reports that Ferguson's decision left Rooney "furious" and that neither side wishes to open contract negotiations in the summer, when the England striker's current deal will have two years to run.
Ferguson informed Rooney at a team meeting two hours before kick-off - The Times reports the player reacted calmly, but revealed his anger to team-mates before the game. His wife Coleen tweeted: “Can't believe @WayneRooney isn't starting tonight!!!”
The news - following behind the scenes briefing from the Rooney and United camps - makes most of the back pages and even the front of the Daily Star.
The Star claims Cristiano Ronaldo will replace him at Old Trafford before adding the rather significant caveat "or another signing" some way down the article. Most papers value Rooney at £35 million, but the Telegraph claims the 27-year-old could leave for as little as £20m due to the breakdown in his relationship with the club.
The Daily Telegraph cites Robin van Persie's £22m move to United and Mario Balotelli's £20m switch to AC Milan as evidence that top-end transfer fees are falling. So who will come in to buy him?
Not Manchester City, according to The Guardian. City were at the centre of a saga in autumn 2010 when Rooney stated publicly his desire to leave on the grounds that United had failed to give him assurances about future signings. However, days later Rooney penned a four-year contract worth a reported £220,000-a-week.
Ironically it is one such signing, Robin van Persie, who has pushed Rooney to the fringes at Old Trafford. City tried and failed to sign the Dutchman, but The Guardian says they will not revive their interest in Rooney. The Premier League champions have been put off by Rooney's reputed £300,000-a-week salary pricing.
Although City can afford such a lavish sum, they do not want to break their wage structure following the introduction of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. Chelsea have the money but, having spent £30m on Andriy Shevchenko and £50m on Fernando Torres, may be wary of splashing big money on a striker whose best years are behind him.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have the means to capture Rooney, but it would represent a sizeable risk transporting such a singularly English player to Spain. Bayern Munich's focus appears to be on Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski, while Italian football's ongoing financial pinch has priced Serie A giants Juventus, AC Milan and Internazionale out of a move. Which leaves David Beckham's new home Paris Saint-Germain, a club with the ambition and funds to capture Rooney.
The Ligue 1 side's Qatari owners are known to be huge fans of the Premier League and Rooney in particular. Their desire to put PSG on the map through marquee signings paved the way for the arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham - adding a star of Rooney's global stature would make further waves around the football world.
Culled from: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/premier-league-paper-round-rooney-united-054844916.html
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