Old Trafford striker will not attempt to force through Stamford Bridge switch.
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will not force through a move to Chelsea by handing in a transfer request this week according to Sky Sports sources.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have already seen two offers rejected for the 27-year-old England international and could now make a third and final bid after Jose Mourinho stated on Monday night that Rooney had 48 hours to decide on his future.
Following their goalless draw at Old Trafford, the Portuguese manager said: “We are not so silly as to try to get a player from a big club, a club that doesn’t sell what they don’t want to sell; we are not so silly as to try to do something if somebody didn’t start it.”
“The person that started the story has to finish the story. For the good of everyone it is time to finish the story. One way or another he has to say ‘I want to leave’ or ‘I want to stay’.”
Rooney was the most impressive player on the pitch last night, demonstrating his worth to both clubs but it now seems that his future remains with the Premier League champions who are determined not to sell him to Premier League rivals.
Moyes, who has maintained his stance throughout the summer that the striker would not be sold, said: “I was very pleased with his performance and I was very pleased with the reaction from the crowd.
“I think Wayne has a positive mind at the moment. I don’t think he needs to change. I think his performance said enough. I think his actions showed what he thought.”
Mourinho has now admitted that the chase for Rooney could prove fruitless, adding: “Rooney was a real professional. He played for his club, played for the club that pays him, tried to win, tried to score. He was fantastic.
“After that, if he wants to leave, he has to say – or he decides now that he doesn’t want to leave anymore. But I praise him. He played a fantastic match in these difficult circumstances.
“They gave him fantastic support, it was good, it was nice – very English.”
The new Chelsea manager, who landed Brazilian Willian in a £30m transfer last week, is understood to have a ‘Plan B’ to Rooney in Anzhi Makhachkala’s Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o and the forward Jose worked with at Inter Milan could be available for around £2million as he seeks to leave the Russian club before the transfer window closes on September 2.