Manchester United Transfer Rumours: PSG are reportedly willing to match Wayne Rooney's current wages

According to a couple of reports (like this one from the Guardian and this one from ESPN Soccernet), newly crowned Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are willing to match Wayne Rooney's current £250k/week wages if the Manchester United attacker were open to a move to the French capital. Recent speculation, though, has been that the 27-year-old -- who apparently put in a transfer request about a month ago according to Sir Alex Ferguson -- would prefer a domestic move rather than a continental one. Also, Rooney's second child was born earlier this week and perhaps that would make him even more reluctant to leave England. However, according to the Soccernet report, he may be open to a move to Paris.

PSG's interest in the England international makes sense to an extent: their relatively new and mega-rich Qatari owners have shown clear ambition since their takeover and adding an established talent like Rooney to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Javier Pastore, and Ezequiel Lavezzi would be another statement of intent in joining Europe's elite. However, it's reasonable to question how Rooney might fit in with the current PSG talisman, Ibrahimovic: would the two be a good pairing on the pitch and might their (contentious) personalities clash?

From a United perspective, it would seem to make perfect sense to sell the mercurial footballer if another club were willing to match their supposed transfer fee valuation of him (£40 million) -- even an offer in the region of £25 million for a player that has been yielding decreasing returns in recent seasons should excite the English champions. In addition, getting Rooney's £250k/week off the wage bill would be welcomed relief. Because he's 27-years-old, and because he only has two years left on his current contract (keep in mind this is when clubs typically like to negotiate a new contract because transfer value decreases afterward with each passing transfer window), his value as an asset to United is at it's peak right now -- that's even if he were to stay at Old Trafford for another season and return to his former world-class (-ish) ways.

Something else to consider is the general belief that United currently aim to net-spend about £25 million in transfer fees each summer. At the very least, a sale of Rooney could double that. That's a transfer kitty that newly-appointed manager David Moyes would surely welcome and it would provide him quite of bit of flexibility for bringing in the pieces to his tactical liking.

To some United supporters, though, if Rooney were to stay at the club while beginning to once again to provide performances that match the expectations of his enormous wages, then all could be forgiven. For others, two transfer requests away from the Theatre of Dreams in three seasons is unforgivable. And then there are those who have mixed emotions -- frustration from his poor performances and transfer requests but at the same time, there's the lingering and sentimental hope that the Wazza of old can be resurrected since he's still only 27-years-old.

For Rooney, his choices are limited: the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, and maybe the likes of Monaco, Arsenal, and Juventus are the only clubs that could afford him. However, the harsh reality of the situation is that most of these clubs want nothing to do with him at his current wages and for the transfer fee it would take to acquire him. If these PSG reports are valid, then Rooney needs to be decisive because his current situation in Manchester or a move to Paris might be his only realistic options. The bottom line, though, is that the former talisman needs to sort himself out wherever he goes (or stays) or he's going to be a source of frustration for the remainder of his career. My personal hope is a quick resolution so that all involved parties can move forward from this saga.