Manchester United to keep Wayne Rooney at any cost - report

Manchester United will not sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea at any price, according to a report from the Guardian's Daniel Taylor.

Rooney has been the subject of intense speculation this summer, and according to Taylor, a decision has been taken at the highest level within Old Trafford that they should not sell to Chelsea at any price, due to the perception of a power shift that would be caused.

The report claims that Manchester United will tell Rooney he is still a valued player and ask supporters to refrain from making their displeasure known when he turns out for the club, although the report is somewhat murky about the prospect of Rooney being sold elsewhere. The prospect of another club, perhaps from abroad, coming in for him is not mentioned, and it only states that Rooney will not be sold to Chelsea.

Since the sale of Rooney would raise a huge amount of funds in terms of wages freed up and a transfer fee, it's difficult to see the Glazers keeping hold of a player who is almost certain to not be worth the money. At the start of the season, Rooney looked certain to leave, and events since then have only strengthened that perception - the 'injuries', the falling-outs, the lack of public appearances, and the repeated stories in the press coming from Rooney's camp all add up to a player who is desperate to leave.

What will happen remains to be seen, but if United were to turn down a major move from abroad, they'd be pretty nuts. The prospect of bringing Rooney round to sign another contract seems highly unlikely when he could earn more elsewhere, and an additional year would see his value greatly diminished.