Reports: Manchester United to let Wayne Rooney leave in swap deal for £100m striker

Wayne Rooney has been on the verge of a Manchester United exit for a long time

What’s the story?

Wayne Rooney’s legendary career at Manchester United is all but set to come to an end, according to a report in British news outlet, Express. Jose Mourinho is desperate to land a top striker for the 2017/18 season, and has set his sights on letting Rooney leave in a player+cash deal for the £100 million-rated Everton striker, Romelu Lukaku – who Jose Mourinho last managed when in charge of Chelsea.

Previously

Romelu Lukaku put multiple Premier League clubs on alert after he made a late U-turn in negotiations with Everton and refused to sign a new deal. The Toffees are resigned to losing their star striker this summer, but manager Ronald Koeman is adamant that they well not let the Belgian leave for a small fee.

The heart of the matter

Lukaku’s agent, Mino Raiola added fuel to the fire by claiming that Everton were well within their rights to demand an astronomical sum for the Belgian, saying “In two years' time maybe £100million for a guy who makes (scores) 26 goals is a good deal. The market will be ruled by the people who buy so if there is a club that needs Lukaku and thinks he is worth £100m, then Everton are right (to ask for that fee)."

The report claims that Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is concerned that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be able to return to his best until January and is thus desperate to land Lukaku, especially after the Red Devils were rebuffed in their chase for Antoine Griezmann after Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban was upheld.

Wanye Rooney is viewed as the ideal bargaining chip, expecially given his Evertonian origins. The legendary striker could make a welcome return to his boyhood club, with Everton gladly willing to lower their asking price for Lukaku as a consequence.

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Author’s Take

This could be a win-win situation for all the parties involved – Wayne Rooney has looked a shadow of the player he was in recent seasons, but a move back to the club where it all began would probably reignite his badly fading career. Meanwhile, United’s poor finishing record under Mourinho would be solved in one stroke, especially given that Lukaku is proven in the Premier League.