Rooney is offered as part of Lukaku bid

Manchester United are planning to use Wayne Rooney as a makeweight in a dramatic attempt to hijack Chelsea’s efforts to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton.

Antonio Conte has told Chelsea’s board to pay whatever it takes to land Lukaku but United have been given fresh encouragement in their own pursuit of the £100 millionrated Belgium striker and believe they can pip the Premier League champions for his signature.

United’s hand has been strengthened by Everton’s desire to re-sign Rooney 13 years after he left Goodison Park for Old Trafford. Bill Kenwright, the Everton chairman, held talks with Rooney’s agent Paul Stretford in London yesterday.

United have been in talks with Real Madrid over Spain striker Alvaro Morata but negotiations are understood to have been complicated by the European champions’ desire to prise David De Gea away from Old Trafford. Lukaku was always Jose Mourinho’s first choice to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Senior sources at Old Trafford indicated last night that the club have been quietly working behind the scenes on a deal for Lukaku for several weeks amid wider public expectations he was destined for Chelsea.

Mourinho sold Lukaku to Everton when he was Chelsea manager for £28million in 2014 but believes he can bring more firepower to an attack that managed just 54 goals in 38 league games last term. With rather unfortunate timing, former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson – who is still a club director – branded Lukaku’s agent, Mino Raiola, a “s---bag” while giving a motivational speech to rugby union side Sale Sharks this week when asked about Paul Pogba’s departure from Old Trafford in 2012. Ferguson blamed Raiola for Pogba leaving although United’s current hierarchy have good relations with the agent.

It is hard to imagine United would allow Rooney to depart before they have signed another centre-forward given that it would leave Mourinho with Marcus Rashford as his only recognised striker. Anthony Martial can also operate in the position but was mainly used out wide by Mourinho.