Chelsea To Ignore United’s ‘Back Off’ Letter By Submitting £40m Rooney Bid

With the summer transfer window in full swing, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Chelsea are ready to ignore Man Utd’s warning over Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea are ready to ignore a formal letter from Manchester United requesting they end their pursuit of Wayne Rooney by submitting an improved £40m next week, according to the Mirror.

Rooney’s future at Old Trafford has come under the spotlight after former boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that the striker had asked to leave the club towards the end of last season.

Chelsea have not hidden their desire to take the 27-year-old to Stamford Bridge this summer and have already seen a £22m offer rejected by the champions last month, with United insisting he wont be sold at any price.

The Mirror claim that United chief executive Ed Woodward has now sent the Blues a letter asking them to end their pursuit of Rooney and once again reiterated that they have no intention of selling, in the hope that it would put an end to the long-running saga.

However, it appears the letter hasn’t had the desired effect with the newspaper suggesting Jose Mourinho will go back in with an improved £40m bid after the Blues visit Old Trafford on Monday.

Following Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday, Mourinho confirmed the club will make another move for Rooney but not until they play United.

“We did (bid) before and we will do later, but I think this period [ahead of Monday’s match] – from the ethical point of view – is a period when we are going to be quiet and just thinking about that game.” Mourinho is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

Despite United’s claims that Rooney will not be sold, the report suggests that Mourinho is confident a deal can be done before the September 2 deadline.

The former Everton forward has just two years left on his current contract and is highly unlikely to sign an extension if he’s forced to remain at the club against his will, so some suggest it may be best for United to cash in now before his value drops. But selling to a title rival such as Chelsea would be ludicrous, so unless they can find a buyer abroad, United may have a tough decision to make if the Blues do come in with a new £40m offer.

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