Mourinho ‘Convinced’ He’ll Beat Arsenal To Rooney – Who Could Buy-Out His United Deal

With the January transfer window now open for business clubs will be working hard to try and strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Chelsea are prepared to wait to land Wayne Rooney.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is convinced he can fend off interest from Arsenal to sign Wayne Rooney in the summer and the striker could even buy-out his Man Utd contract to ensure a moves goes through, according to the Telegraph.

Rooney was strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer after Jose Mourinho publicly admitted the England hitman was his prime transfer target before seeing their final £24m offer rejected by United.

The Telegraph claims that Arsenal also saw a bid for Rooney rejected last summer and Arsene Wenger is continuing to monitor the players situation, with the Gunners boss also looking to bring in a top quality front man to support Olivier Giroud.

However, the newspaper suggests that Mourinho has already rejected the chance to sign a number of strikers this January as he’s prepared to wait until the summer when he’s ‘convinced’ he’ll be able to see-off competition from the likes of Arsenal to finally land Rooney.

The 28-year-old striker has just 18 months left to run on his current contract at Old Trafford and there are no signs he’ll sign an extension any time soon – particularly after United’s disappointing season so far.

The champions will be left in a difficult situation should no agreement be reached before the end of the season, as Rooney would have just 12 months left on his deal and they may be forced to cash-in or risk losing him for nothing the following summer.

While United remain adamant they wont sell, even if they finish outside the top four this season, the report suggests that Rooney has the option to buy-out the remainder of his contract and become a free agent, therefore having the freedom to join any club he wishes.

As the Telegraph states – Under Article 17 of FIFA’s regulations, a player who signed a contract before the age of 28 can buy himself out of the contract three years after he initially signed the deal. Given that Rooney was 24 when he signed his last contract on 22/10/2010, he was officially able to buy himself out of the deal as of the 22nd October 2013.

So if Rooney fails to sign a new deal before the end of the season and United refuse to sell, the player could theoretically buy the remaining year of his contract out and move to Chelsea, Arsenal or which ever club he chooses and make up for the expense by demanding a sizeable signing on fee.

It would likely be used as a last resort, but it certainly adds an extra dimension to the future of Rooney and you’d think United would be desperate to get him tied to a new deal as soon as possible, if only to protect their investment.

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