Despite signing Juan Mata, Manchester United will not sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea

MANCHESTER United will never sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea - despite Juan Mata's club record move the other way.

MANCHESTER United will never sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea - despite Juan Mata moving in the opposite direction for a club record $70 million.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, a long-term admirer of Rooney, has already tried to use the Mata deal as a possible bargaining chip to land the England striker by saying it would be 'unfair' to stop a player from signing for the club he wanted.

However United, who are currently in talks with Rooney over a new $142m contract that would make him the highest-paid player in Premier League history, are adamant that even if negotiations break down they would not contemplate letting Rooney go to Stamford Bridge.

News_Image_File: If Chelsea thought Juan Mata would be a pawn in a deal, think again.

News_Rich_Media: Jose Mourinho has confirmed Juan Mata is headed to Manchester United, the Chelsea boss hitting out at criticism of the move from rival managers.

Old Trafford chief executive Ed Woodward would rather let the player spend the final year of his contract at Old Trafford and waive a transfer fee than have him come back to haunt the club as Cristiano Ronaldo did with Real Madrid.

They have made their policy clear to Rooney and his negotiating team, who understand the situation.

United are in buoyant mood over the signing of Mata, having been aware of problems between the Spaniard and Mourinho since the summer.

Chelsea were reluctant to sell to United but having told the player he could leave for a certain price, they were then powerless when Mata said he wanted to move to Old Trafford. United are now confident that Rooney can be persuaded to stay on terms of around $560,000-a-week for a five-year deal.

Although talks are still at an early stage, 28-year-old Rooney is aware a new deal would - barring injury - guarantee him a place in United history as their all-time top scorer.

He is currently fourth on that list with 208 goals, behind Jack Rowley (211), Denis Law (237) and Sir Bobby Charlton (249).

More talks with Rooney's agent Paul Stretford are expected in the coming weeks. There would appear to be no rush to sign the deal but the relationship between the club and the player is better than it has been for some time, which means United are growing in confidence that the contract offer will be accepted. It is only six months ago that Rooney's looked likely to leave, with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson insisting he had asked for a transfer, something Rooney always denied.