£40m limit placed on Rooney bid

Chelsea have placed a £40 million limit on their bid for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

United rejected a £30m offer from the Blues for the star on Monday – just weeks after their opening gambit of £24m was snubbed.

Jose Mourinho is still desperate to land the England forward, and will return with a third, and final, offer – though SportsDirect News has learned he will not match United’s reported asking price.

However, the Portuguese tactician is still confident he will capture his number one target – as Rooney wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

The feeling at United is that the star will slap a formal transfer request on boss David Moyes’ desk in the coming days, and that will significantly reduce United’s bargaining power.

So far they have been able to hold out for the highest price possible because Rooney has not articulated a desire to leave the club.

But, should he do just that, Moyes will have to seriously consider any improved bid that may be forthcoming.