Why Manchester United May Pay Wayne Rooney to Leave Old Trafford

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, right.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, right, at Aon Training Complex, Manchester, February 21. Rooney looks set to leave United for the Chinese Super League. Jan Kruger/Getty

Manchester United may pay Wayne Rooney to leave Old Trafford, according to reports.

Rooney's agent Paul Stretford flew to China on Thursday as it looked increasingly likely that the England captain will be playing in the Chinese Super League next season.

But The Times reported that despite prospective wages in China of £600,000 ($747,000) a week, Rooney may still receive the last year of his £300,000 a week wages from United if he leaves in the summer as a gesture of goodwill. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his current deal.

One club Rooney will not be joining is Tianjin Quanjian, coached by Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro.

The CSL side made an approach for Diego Costa in the January transfer window and Cannavaro confirmed they had made contact with Rooney, too.

"We did make an approach for Rooney, but it was just chit-chat because he simply doesn't suit our style of play," Cannavaro told Tianjin TV in quotes reported by the Evening Standard.

"No further discussion was necessary. The truth is we had more frequent contact with Aubameyang," he added. "Unfortunately, our bid was rejected by Borussia Dortmund who said he was needed in this season's Champions League."

United could play the EFL Cup final against Southampton on Sunday without Rooney, who has been suffering from a muscle injury.

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