Although it may seem unlikely at this late stage, Wayne Rooney is currently down at 5/1 to leave Manchester United and sign for Chelsea before tomorrow. Sky Bet has Chelsea priced at the five to one odds to pick up the United star, with Real Madrid the second favourites at 20/1. Obviously that is quite a stark difference, with the bookmakers deciding that a foreign move is unlikely but a last minute blockbuster London move is still very much a possibility. At this stage, it seems unlikely that the move would happen: United do not want to sell to a rival Premier League time, and David Moyes repeatedly stated through the summer that Wayne Rooney is not for sale. It was thought that the England star had been negotiating a new United deal in recent weeks, with a reported sum of £65 million likely to keep him at Old Trafford. The Sun had also reported that United would look to convince Rooney to stay by offering him the captaincy, in addition to informing him on promised big money signings coming in. However, Jose Mourinho could offer Rooney a massively attractive carrot to come to London. Roman Abramovich is a rich man who can facilitate many things, and Chelsea as a team represent a better prospect in European football for Rooney right now. In addition to what is on offer at Chelsea, we know that Rooney had expressed a desire to leave United last May. Could the clubs problems since then have furthered that keenness to leave? It will be interesting to see if those odds fluctuate any further or extend away as 11pm approaches. Both United and Chelsea fans will be following any progress with nervous anticipation.
