Wayne Rooney is set to leave Manchester United after reports of Chinese Super League preparing a £500,000-a-week contract for the striker, despite manager Jose Mourinho recently suggesting he will never sell the player.
According toSky Sports, the Portuguese coach spoke of the English international's future at the club, and insisted that he will never make that decision for him to leave the team that he has been with since 2004, regarding him as a 'club great'.
Jose Mourinho: I will never sell Wayne Rooney https://t.co/OTMyuZ5Cwh pic.twitter.com/r0Shki1ciH
"I will never make that decision," said Mourinho.
"A player of his stature, a player of his history in the club will never go to point where club or manager want to make that decision for him."
However, further reports fromthe Mirrorhave suggested that Rooney may make the decision himself to leave Old Trafford next season, with the Chinese Super League ready to offer the player a mouth-watering wage bracket that will see him pocket £2m a month, plus commercial bonuses.
Wayne Rooney could be offered a highly lucrative way out of his Man United misery. Next stop, China?#TransferTalk: https://t.co/HQ11y9b60h pic.twitter.com/zQeJl261BB
Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, current manager of Shanghai SIPG, is confident of persuading the player he coached in the Three Lions set-up to move over to China, and will begin talks in the new year.
The sensational offer - which in total would see Rooney pocket £80m - was reportedly made to Rooney and his advisories about 10 months ago, and despite initially rejecting the move, the 30-year-old has somewhat changed his mind following his position in the current United squad under Mourinho, after the skipper has started on the bench in the last three league matches
Another option for Rooney would be the MLS, joining fellow compatriots Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, however the American franchise would not be able to match the money fronted up by the Chinese heavyweights, and could be enough to convince Rooney of a controversial move to the East.