Ed Woodward: Manchester United prepared to let Wayne Rooney run down his deal

By talkSPORT | Sunday, July 14, 2013

Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward claims the club are prepared to let Wayne Rooney run down his deal at Old Trafford.

The England striker has two-years to run on his current contract and, if he was any other player, would be expected to sit down for talks about extending his time in the north west this summer.

But the 27-year-old is reportedly unhappy at having to play second fiddle to Robin van Persie at the Red Devils and has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea in the transfer window.

And Woodward, who took over from David Gill earlier this year, admits the club are not in talks with any of their players.

"There are no contract renewals that are being discussed. I am not sitting down with any player on an extension and there is no trigger date in the diary," said Woodward.

"Would we be afraid to run a contract down? Of course not."

Manchester United appear to have missed out on Barcelona star Thiago Alcantara, who has opted for a move to Bayern Munich instead of the Premier League side, but Woodward added that the club will not change their ethos.

"We are not looking to change the way we do things - it's been a successful formula," said Woodward.

"We want the manager to be investing. We are not in the business of delivering him players. That structure works for some, but not here at United."

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Exclusive - Alex McLeish believes Wayne Rooney could leave Manchester United

By Ian Cruise | Sunday, July 14, 2013

Alex McLeish believes Wayne Rooney could yet leave Manchester United ahead of the start of the season.

New Old Trafford boss David Moyes insists the striker won’t be sold, but former Aston Villa and Birmingham manager McLeish feels the situation may not be quite so clear-cut.

He told the Transfer Tavern: “Will he stay or will he go? David has said they’re keeping Wayne but there’s no smoke without fire. It’s an ongoing saga that will probably come to fruition in the coming months.

“He [Rooney] will probably be thinking, ‘do I stay at United for ever, or do I seek pastures new’? I think that’s bubbling under at the moment.

“But United will look for a massive fee for Wayne and if it’s not forthcoming maybe he won’t be able to go. That could be the bottom line.”

Stories continue to link Rooney with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, despite Moyes’ claims he will be staying, and that leads McLeish to question his long-term prospects.

"Jose Mourinho is keen if we believe the press,” he added. “If it’s really, really hot I think Wayne will go.”

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Manchester United miss out as Alcantara agrees Bayern Munich move

By talkSPORT | Sunday, July 14, 2013

Barcelona have announced that Thiago Alcantara is to join Bayern Munich.

The highly-rated midfielder was one of new Manchester United manager David Moyes’ top transfer targets, but the Spanish giants have now agreed a deal with the Bundesliga champions.

A short statement from the La Liga side said a fee of €25million (£21.6m) had been agreed for the 22-year-old.

"FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich have reached an agreement over the transfer of the player Thiago Alcantara to the German club for a total of €25million," it read.

"This agreement also includes holding a friendly match between the two teams, which will be played in the next four years."

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