Wayne Rooney has reportedly denied handing in an official transfer request at Manchester United, with it looking increasingly likely that the England international’s future is away from Old Trafford.
The 27 year old is adamant that his words have been misconstrued, despite Sir Alex Ferguson publicly declaring that the striker had indeed asked to leave the Premier League champions.
Chelsea are currently the favourites to sign Rooney, who yesterday was celebrating the arrival of second son Klay, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain are also reportedly interested.
Meanwhile, United have missed out on Porto midfielder James Rodriguez, who appears to have agreed a move to newly promoted French Ligue 1 side Monaco.
The 21 year old, who had been linked with a move to Old Trafford, is set to move with fellow teammate Joao Moutinho for a combined fee of £60 million.
The club will now reportedly turn their attention to Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has made just fourteen starts for the Spanish champions this season.
The 22 year old Spanish international has a release clause of £77 million, though reports in Spain suggest that that figure may have drop to as low as £17 million in recent weeks.