Man Utd Transfer News: SportsDirect Apologises Over Wayne Rooney Claim
have apologised for a story that appeared on their website - which is a well-known affiliate of Magpies owner Mike Ashley - claiming that Newcastle were preparing to launch a large-money bid for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. A statement reads:
SportsDirect News wishes to express its sincere apologies to Wayne Rooney and Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group for publishing the article "Newcastle in shock Rooney bid", which was formulated and published without authority, merit and is untrue.The article first appeared yesterday with a "source" claiming the club were in "low level negotiations" with Rooney's agent before going on to claim the England star is "Newcastle's ideal player". The Magpies moved quickly to distance themselves from the claims yesterday by branding the report as absolute nonsense. Rooney has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in the summer after asking for a second time to leave the club recently, though the Premier League champions have thus far rejected his pleas. The England international seems desperate to quit but his lofty wage demands of £250,000-per-week appear to be blocking a move. Newcastle have now joined several clubs in ruling themselves out of the running for his signature, with Manchester City and more recently Bayern Munich denying interest in the "ageing" star. Rooney joined Manchester United from Everton in 2004 and has made 400 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 197 goals and becoming the club's fourth-highest goal-scorer of all time in the process.