Rooney could leave Man U after pay rise demand

Wayne Rooney may soon be on his way out of Old Trafford. That's the sensational news in the Sun, which says the player's contract demands "could end his career at Manchester United". The 24-year-old striker currently earns £90,000 a week but Rooney – and his advisors – think he's worth more and are asking for "a five-year deal worth £140,000 a week". This represents a huge hike for United and sources in the club are said to be unhappy with the demand.

Rooney trails Rio Ferdinand in the wage stakes with the England defender raking in £110,000 a week, the same amount as Cristiano Ronaldo before the Portuguese prima donna flounced off to Real Madrid in the summer. According to the Sun, Rooney and his team are playing hardball with United, keeping the club on tenterhooks until after the summer World Cup when Rooney's "stock could be even higher with a good tournament behind him".

With United's debt recently reported to be in the region of £711m, the club might struggle to meet Rooney's demand, leaving the door open for Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Sun says the Spanish clubs are delighted at United's money problems and are preparing to "start the bidding at £70m" for Rooney.

Adding fuel to the fire is a report in the reliable Spanish paper El Mundo Deportivo which says that the prospect of luring Rooney away from Old Trafford is likely to form a significant campaigning issue when it comes to Barcelona's impending elections for a new club president. Any prospective candidate able to promise the signing of the England star would be likely to secure what is one of European football's most powerful roles.

But is Manchester United really that strapped for cash? Not if the Daily Mail is to be believed. The papers says that the club is lining up an £18m bid for Porto defender Rolando, a 6ft 3in giant with a knack of scoring crucial goals.
 
Sources close to the Mail report that Rolando, who has enjoyed an impressive season thus far in the Champions League, is sought by manager Alex Ferguson as a reinforcement for the injury-prone Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.  

It might well have been former United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz who alerted Ferguson to Rolando. Queiroz, now the coach of Portugal, has recently blooded the 24-year-old at international level and he looks set to star in the summer World Cup.

According to the Mail, Porto have labelled Rolando with a £28m price tag but United are "reluctant to pay over the odds" and will offer £10m less to bring Rolando to Old Trafford.

Meanwhile Racing Santander midfielder Sergio Canales is doing his best to dampen speculation that a move to Arsenal is on the cards. Sky Sports reports that the gifted 18-year-old, who bagged a brace of goals at the weekend in the win over Sevilla, is being courted by Gunners' boss Arsene Wenger - but for the moment Canales is resisting all overtures.

"I'm relaxed but a little surprised," said Canales. "At present my preference is to stay at Racing. They are the ones who gave me my debut and minutes in the Primera Liga, but I'm flattered by all the offers."

If Arsenal are to land the teenage sensation they will have to see off competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool, though the Merseyside club aren't considered serious contenders given their current crisis.
 
Wenger has a habit of spotting Spanish starlets early and transforming them into world-class players – think Joso Antonio Reyes and Cesc Fabregas– and according to Sky Sports he sees Canales as a "gifted youngster despite his lack of senior experience".

Another young Spaniard to catch Wenger's eye is Osasuna right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, according to the Mail.

The 20-year-old has a growing reputation and is thought to be interested in signing for Arsenal. However the stumbling block could the price.

Azpilicueta has a buyout clause of £12m in his contract and the notoriously parsimonious Wenger is unwilling to offer more than £6m. But the fee shouldn't be a stumbling block for Azpilicueta's other Premier League suitors, big-spending Manchester City.

Chelsea have been  ordered to fork out £3.5m for striker Daniel Sturridge who they signed from Manchester City in the summer.

The fee was decided at a tribunal which came up with the initial figure, but added in a series of clauses that could see  Chelsea's outlay almost double. Chelsea must pay an extra £500,000 for every 10 senior appearances he makes up to 40. He already has eight under his belt.

An additional £1m has to be paid if the England Under 21 striker plays a full international, and City will receive 15 per cent of any transfer fee if and when Chelsea offload Sturridge. ·