SEAGULLS PLAN FRENCH SWOOP
ROONEY AT EVERTON Joined boyhood team aged nine. Aug 2002: Senior debut against Spurs aged 16 years and 297 days. Oct, 2002: Scored first two Everton goals against Wrexham in League Cup. Oct 19, 2002: Prem’s youngest scorer aged 16 years and 360 days with last-minute winner to end Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run. Jan 2003: Signed his first professional contract with Everton. ROONEY AT UNITED Aug 2004: Joined for £25.6million. Sep 2004: Hat-trick on debut versus Fenerbahce in the Champions League. Feb 2006: Scored twice in the League Cup final win over Wigan. May 2007: Scored 14 league goals to FROM BACK PAGE sanctioning the England star’s controversial £27million transfer to United. Everton value Lukaku at a world record £100m and Chelsea have yet to make a firm bid because of the uncertainty surrounding Diego Costa. But Everton are unwilling to shatter their pay structure to land Rooney, which is why they want United to subsidise collect first of his five Prem medals. May 2008: Started as United beat Chelsea to win Champions League. October 2010: Claimed he wanted to leave. Soon signed new five-year deal. Feb 2011: Scored winner against Manchester City with overhead kick. May 2013: Relations with Sir Alex Ferguson hit a low when retiring boss said he had made transfer request. Feb 2014: Signed contract extension under David Moyes until 2019. Aug 2014: Named captain by Louis van Gaal. May 2016: Finally won the FA Cup. Jan 2017: Lost his place under Jose Mourinho. Surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton’s record to become United’s all-time leading scorer on 250 goals. more than half of his huge salary. They are likely to have to pay around £180,000 of his weekly wage next season for the Everton deal to go ahead, meaning a £9.36m payout.
United fly to Los Angeles for the start of their US tour on Sunday, with Rooney set to be included in their squad. But if a deal with Everton is close by the weekend, he will not be on the plane with his glittering 13-year United career over.
United’s move for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata has stalled and that has opened the door for Lukaku’s recruitment.
Chelsea are struggling to offload Costa before they can move for Lukaku with the Spain striker wanting to return to Atletico Madrid who are under a transfer ban until January. Atletico are looking to sign Costa and then loan him out until then. It is understood a Chinese club are keen on taking him. NEWLY-PROMOTED Brighton are chasing Toulouse striker Martin Braithwaite, 26. Bournemouth are also in for the £12million-rated Denmark hitman (left), with his French club likely to have to sell their captain.