He’s going to be a very, very wealthy man.
According to reports, Manchester United will officially confirm Rooney’s new contract later today following reports in recent weeks that the England striker was ready to put pen to paper on a deal that would see him become the highest paid-player in the Premier League. And by some distance too.
Rooney’s contract is five and half years. All agreed. Confirmation later today #MUFC
— Ben Smith (@BenSmithBBC) February 21, 2014
England striker Wayne Rooney reaches agreement on new five-and-a-half-year contract at Manchester United #mufc
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 21, 2014
Rooney’s future has been the subject of much speculation all season, following a summer when he appeared to be on the verge of a move to Chelsea only for United to play hardball and refuse to countenance a sale, a stance which led to a bizarre series of events whereby their recent acquisition of Juan Mata involved little if any negotiations between direct representatives of both clubs.
More recently, it became clear that Rooney was willing to sign a new deal at Old Trafford, a position no doubt helped by the mouth-watering salary he will reportedly receive, rumoured to be in the region of £300,000 a week over the next five and a half years.
Because of the figures involved, the fact that Rooney has twice threatened to leave the club in the past and doubts about his fitness, a new deal for the 28-year old has been questioned by many United fans, despite the fact that he has arguably been their best player in what has been a disastrous campaign so far.
Given that United would be loathe to further weaken their squad in their current position and that they made such a big deal of holding onto Rooney in the first place, the player was in a strong position when it came to negotiating a contract and it has also been suggested that he was consulted over possible moves in the transfer market and that he will be awarded the United captaincy at some stage in the future.
It will be interesting to hear what Rooney himself has to say if and when the deal is announced later on, but it’s going to prove a hot topic of debate amongst football fans for some time to come in any case.
So, good deal for Manchester United or not? Feel free to let us know in the comments box below.
