United set to open £50m Rooney talks as Moyes plans give away Rooney by January

United set to open £50m Rooney talks as Moyes plans give away Rooney by January

Manchester United are confident Wayne Rooney is ready to begin discussions on a new four-year contract worth a staggering £50million - as David Moyes prepares to wield the axe in a bid to ignite their Premier League season.
United executive chairman Ed Woodward has contacted Rooney's agent Paul Stretford a number of times in the past few weeks, and it is understood formal meetings will take place soon.

Positive sign: Manchester United set to open contract talks with striker Wayne Rooney

It is the first sign of a breakthrough between the player and the club since the breakdown in relations with Sir Alex Ferguson, aggravated by the former boss's insistence that Rooney, 28, had asked to leave the club, something the striker has always denied.
News that he wants to stay will delight Moyes, who will ditch players as he looks to freshen up his squad.
Ashley Young, Nani and Antonio Valencia have struggled and Moyes said: 'A few could go if we got the right offer.'

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England pair Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, as well as Javier Hernandez, Anderson and Alex Buttner, have not proved themselves, while veterans Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra are unlikely to be offered new contracts.
'I've tried to give an opportunity to everybody,' Moyes said. 'Would we sell? If the right offers were there we'd probably look at it.

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'We'll be balancing trying to move people on but also trying to bring people in.'
Moyes watched Atletico Madrid's £15million midfielder Koke face Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala in the Champions League on Wednesday. He also plans to try again for Everton leftback Leighton Baines.