Gossip: Rooney out next summer and more…

ROONEY OUT IN THE SUMMER
Quite how much new information is in the Daily Mirror’s precis of the Wayne Rooney situation is unclear but one line stands out: ‘What is becoming increasingly clear is that this is shaping up to be his last season at Old Trafford.’

We’re not sure anybody else is talking quite so starkly about the future of Rooney but the Mirror’s Manchester man David McDonnell clearly believes the United and England captain has no future at the club. The problem – of course – is that Rooney’s ludicrous £300,000-a-week contract means that he is still owed £26m on his contract.

Where next for Rooney? The Mirror discuss the relative merits of the MLS and the Chinese Super League without any suggestion that he could stay in the Premier League. Hmmm. Wouldn’t he want to protect his England squad place until the 2018 World Cup?

 

PSG WANT DEMBELE
Which Dembele? Well, the Moussa Dembele who quite bizarrely joined Celtic in the summer after being linked with various big clubs across Europe (including Tottenham) this summer. The Daily Express are ‘exclusively’ revealing that the French club sent scouts to watch Dembele play and score for the France Under-21 side this week and could re-sign a player they allowed to leave for Fulham four years ago.

Other teams credited with an interest are Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Hull City. We suspect the latter after exactly zero hopes in hell.

 

MILAN SAY NO TO CESC
Despite various journalists desperately trying to get Cesc Fabregas a move to AC Milan, the club’s manager Vincenzo Montella remains unmoved by the idea. He wants a replacement for injured Ricardo Montolivo and does not believe the Spaniard has the discipline to replace him.

“We’re looking for a player who has the characteristics that Montolivo has, who can also operate in a defensive-midfield two,” Montella said. “Fabregas? He doesn’t have those characteristics.”

Ouch. He won the Premier League two seasons ago in a defensive-midfield two, but that seems an awful long time ago now.

 

AND THE REST
Italy striker Simone Zaza could be set to exit West Ham just two months after joining from Juventus on loan…Bournemouth could send 19-year-old midfielder Lewis Cook on loan to Leeds United in the New Year….Bristol City and England Under-21 striker Tammy Abraham, 19, will not be able to return to his parent club Chelsea before the end of the season…Jai Quitongo’s list of admirers continues to grow as Hull City join Crystal Palace and Swansea in showing interest in the Greenock Morton winger.