Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has given Wayne Rooney 48 hours to decide if he wants to leave Manchester United and move to Stamford Bridge, according to the BBC. The Blues have been chasing the striker for much of the summer and have already failed with two bids, while United continue to insist the 27-year-old is not for sale. Speaking after his side's 0-0 draw with United last night, a game of which saw Chelsea play with no recognised striker, Mourinho said of the Rooney situation:
"One way or another he has to say 'I want to leave' or 'I want to stay'. "The person that started the story has to finish the story. For the good of everyone, it is time to finish the story."
Mourinho seemed to suggest that Rooney himself was the catalyst for the on-going transfer saga, saying that the ex-Everton star "told someone very important in his career" that he wanted to leave. It is likely that the Portuguese boss was referring to Sir Alex Ferguson, who claimed Rooney wanted to quit the club shortly before he retired as United manager. That was back in May and, asked how much longer he was prepared to wait for the Rooney situation to come to a resolution, Mourinho replied: "Twenty-four hours, 48 hours.
"If you look at a manager like me, a club like us and the people who work at the club with me, we are not silly enough to try to get a player from a big club that doesn't want to sell. "We are not silly enough to try something if somebody didn't start it." "After that, if he wants to leave he has to say - or if he has decided now he doesn't want to leave any more then he has to say."
Rooney was given a warm reception by both United and Chelsea fans during last night's 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, with the home and away support both chanting his name. And it remains to be seen which club he will be playing for come the closure of the transfer window a week today.