Mourinho plots final attempt to sign Rooney.
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Chelsea will put together a final bid to sign Wayne Rooney from Manchester United on the final day of the transfer window, CaughtOffside understands.
Jose Mourinho has made the 27-year-old his prime target for most of the summer after it was claimed by Sir Alex Ferguson that he had submitted a transfer request at the end of last season.
However, new United manager David Moyes has been adamant that Rooney would not be sold, and looked to have persuaded the England international to reject Chelsea’s advances, after the striker rejected Mourinho’s advice to submit a formal transfer request at Old Trafford.
This development saw Chelsea move swiftly to sign Anzhi Makhachkala striker Samuel Eto’o, who had been linked as Mourinho’s second choice to Rooney, but the Portuguese boss remains keen to add more firepower upfront, with the possibility that Demba Ba or Fernando Torres could leave on a hectic deadline day.
Chelsea will hope an improved offer of £45million can persuade United to part with Rooney, though it remains to be seen if the former Everton man himself is still keen on moving to Stamford Bridge, after hinting that he had decided to commit his future to the Red Devils.
Rooney has scored 197 goals in 404 appearances for United, and is currently into his tenth season with the club, but became unsettled last year after the arrival of Robin van Persie meant he was limited to a more bit-part role in the team.
Despite naturally being a striker, Rooney was used in a deeper position by Ferguson to accommodate top-scorer van Persie, and was occasionally left out of the team altogether in some important games, leading Rooney to seek a new challenge elsewhere.
With Chelsea’s problems upfront, Mourinho would certainly have given Rooney the chance to play as the main striker again, and he will be hoping this can still sway Rooney on the final day of the transfer window, as it is still not clear if he will be first choice under Moyes this season either.
Although Eto’o looks a good short-term option for the Blues, he has only signed a one-year contract with the club, and Mourinho would be keen to have another player in place for the long run, with misfiring pair Torres and Ba not looking like capable backups at the moment.
Ba has been linked with a return to former club Newcastle, and Chelsea are also likely to listen to offers for Torres if they come in in the next 12 hours.