Rooney transfer request highlights limited options for the England star

A season of speculation surrounding Wayne Rooney has culminated in an official transfer request from the player, and a host of rumours circulating about his next club.
Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Rooney had asked to leave Manchester United, although the request was originally turned down.
The 27 year old was left out of the squad for the Champions’ last home game of the season against Swansea as he ‘was not keen to play’, according to his manager.
The decision by the club to refuse his request does suggest that Manchester United would like him to remain at the club.
Ferguson was asked about the situation, but only commented that ‘it’s not my decision now’. David Moyes must now discuss Rooney’s future with the player, and coincidentally,he was the manager who sold him to Manchester United from Everton in 2004.
Since that time, Moyes and Rooney have been involved in a libel case over comments made in Rooney’s autobiography, for which Moyes was awarded a settlement and received an apology.
Moyes did state this week though that Rooney is ‘one of the best players in the world’, hinting that he would like to keep him at the club.
If Rooney is to move to a different club in the Premier League, Manchester City and Chelsea might be the two most interested parties. Both clubs could afford his transfer fee of an estimated £40million, and his wages of up to £300,000 a week. Manchester City were interested in 2010 when Rooney previously handed in a transfer request, although it is unknown if their interest has waned since then. Chelsea may be looking to add to their striker options in the summer, and owner Roman Abramovich has not been averse to spending a large amount of money on a top striker.
In Europe, Real Madrid have a history of making big signings too, and Rooney is regarded as one of England’s top talents by the Spanish giants. If Cristiano Ronaldo were to move elsewhere in the summer, then the club would be under pressure to replace him with another big name.
Paris Saint Germain have displayed their ambitions in recent seasons by signing players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore, and would be interested in another top player to aid success both domestically and in Europe.
However, one side that it appears are not interested in signing Rooney are Bayern Munich. Sporting director of the German club, Matthias Sammer, said that ‘There is no contact and he’s not on the agenda.’
Many clubs will always be interested in a player of Rooney’s calibre, but his potential price and his lack of form this season may both deter a lot of his potential suitors.
After he has weighed up all of his options, he may even decide that the best course of action is to stay at Manchester United.
He is only 53 goals from becoming the club’s top goalscorer of all time, and the lure of becoming a legend at the club might be just too strong.