Is English footballer Wayne Rooney about to trade the reds of Manchester United for Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG?
According to The Mirror, SIPG coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will once again test Rooney’s resolve to stay in the Premier League with a massive 660 million RMB (80 million GBP) offer when the winter transfer window opens in January.
The 31-year-old would be paid around 4 million RMB (£500 000) a week under the deal, notwithstanding a hefty performance bonus. Not too shabby for a player who many consider is past it.
It's not the first time SIPG have approached Rooney, and in March Piers Morgan revealed he turned down a 'stupendously, stratospherically gigantic' offer from the Shanghai club before the start of the 2016 CSL season.
Club captain Rooney has become more familiar with the bench than the Old Trafford turf in recent weeks, and whilst this deal actually happening would still surprise most, Jose Mourinho's decision to drop Rooney has made it more likely that he will be looking to leave the club.
And if it's cash he's after, there's nowhere in the footballing world with more of it to splash right now than China in its bid to become a 'first-class football superpower'.
The prospect of Rooney and Hulk spearheading SIPG’s attack next season? Only time - or perhaps money - will tell.
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