Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
It was one of the longest-running transfer narratives of the summer, but in the end Chelsea failed to persuade either the England international, or perhaps more importantly Manchester United, to come to the negotiating table and discuss a deal to allow Rooney to join the Blues this season.
The west London club did lodge two bids with their arch rivals from Old Trafford for the unsettled 27-year-old, however, the Premier League champions simply refused to do business with Jose Mourinho and Co.
However, it will be interesting to see whether the Red Devils’ stance will have changed much by the time the transfer window opens once again in January, especially given the fact that the striker has still to agree a new deal with United, meaning that as things stand Rooney can still walk away from the club for nothing come June 20125.
And with prolific Dutch marksman Robin van Persie still clearly David Moyes’s first-choice front man in the north west this season, with Rooney having been forced to play a supporting role in behind the former Arsenal captain so far under the new United manager, the chances of the Englishman’s unhappiness at the club having eased by the turn of the year look remote at best.
All of which means that a big-money offer for the forward somewhere in the region of the £40 million mark come January could be enough to end Chelsea’s long-running search for a ”fox in the box’ going forward at the Bridge.