With teams from the Chinese Super League splashing money around, they have been able to sign some big-name players. The list of stars seems to be growing, with names like Carlos Tevez and Oscar cashing in on China’s financial largesse. The most recent crop of transfer rumors is led by Manchester United legend and team captain Wayne Rooney.
At the age of 31, Rooney has featured mainly in Europa League and FA Cup competitions, giving his teammates a breather to better compete in the EPL matches. After serving the Red Devils for the past 13 years, it would seem that his days as a consistent starter have passed him by. There are rumored to be behinds-the scenes discussions from a handful of Chinese Super League teams to bring him to China, with their transfer window closing next Tuesday. While initially seeming ambivalent towards such a move, recent comments by the team captain seem more positive towards such a move, or at least less resistant.
While football has made Rooney a wealthy man, any new contract offered by current management would almost certainly see a decline in his wages. It is rumored that the Chinese clubs are offering a salary up to four times his current one in Manchester. A Rooney-type brand already exists in China from his past visits, making him the second most popular football legend there (after David Beckham). Signing to play there would only enhance his brand in China and other areas of Asia, furthering enhancing his stature and his financial standing.
On the flip side, it would seem likely that his days of international play for the Three Lions would come to an end, but most insiders believe that has already happened. New manager Gareth Southgate rarely mentions Rooney as an integral part of his squad, and it’s plausible that he would not play at all for England at the international level. On his club team, Rooney has already broken the record for most goals scored for Manchester United, eclipsing the record previously held by another legend, Sir Bobby Charlton. For a man who has lost a step or two on the pitch, there might not be a better time to cash in on his aura and fame.
Manager Jose Mourinho has publically avoided any direct responses regarding a potential move to China, referring to Rooney as a legend and deflecting any interest back to the player himself. Behind the scenes, however, it is a given that Manchester United would sanction such a move-if they can receive a large transfer fee in the process. How high a fee? The answer to that question can be summed up in one player they covet — Antoine Griezmann. The French forward currently on the roster of Atletico Madrid is estimated to command a fee in the neighborhood of $100 million, and the Red Devils will be looking for a large down- payment from the Chinese to make the purchase from Atletico as revenue-neutral as possible. While they would hate to lose a player of Griezmann’s caliber, it is no secret that Atletico is in need of a cash infusion. With the French international their most valuable asset, this would seem to be a win-win situation for both Atletico Madrid and Manchester United. And with Rooney quadrupling his salary, no one would go away empty-handed.
Rooney is as good as gone, it seems.
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