The Wayne Rooney to China links have really heated up recently, as the deadline for clubs in the Chinese top tier to sign players is on Tuesday.
The Mirror went with a back page splash titled 'Goodbye Rooney Tuesday' a couple of days back.
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Their story is that a £30 million move is on the cards that will see Rooney will become the world's best-paid player, with a weekly salary in the region of £750,000-a-week being thrown around.
The Telegraph reported that Wayne Rooney's record breaking move will depend on whether he plays in the EFL final on Sunday.
And now there have been some huge developments in the deal.
Several outlets have gone with the story that Rooney's agent Paul Stretford, who only represents the England captain, is in China to discuss a possible move with clubs.
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A deal is not certain, particularly with the Chinese Super League transfer window closing on Tuesday - just two days after the EFL Cup final at Wembley, where United take on Southampton.
In his press conference before Manchester United's trip to Saint Etienne, when asked if Wayne Rooney will be fit for Sunday's final, Mourinho insisted that he doesn't want Rooney to leave the club but said he "cannot guarantee" he'll be at Manchester United at end of the season.
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News that Rooney's agent has flown to China has only fuelled talk of a departure.
According to The Mirror, Stretford flew to Beijing, China's capital and got the green light to make a move to China Happen - with Rooney becoming United's record goalscorer and seemingly having little left to achieve at the club.
They also say that a host of clubs in the Chinese Super League are prepared to pay him wages of £600,000.
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Beijing Guoan have been linked, though BBC Sport say a source told them that they are not interested in a move.
Because of a mixture of a lack of a financial muscle from some clubs and restrictions on foreign players, only Jiangsu Suning and Tianjin Quanjin have a realistic chance of signing him it seems; Tianjin have already spoke with Rooney's representatives but Fabio Cannavaro decided not to pursue a deal further, deeming Rooney not suitable for his playing style.
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Speaking to TianjinTV, the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner said:
"We did make an approach for Rooney, but it was just a chat because he simply doesn't suit our style of play.
"No further discussion was necessary. The truth is we had more frequent contact with Aubameyang."
The rules in the Chinese Super League are that teams can have five overseas players - though one must be from Asia.
Changchun Yatai, Chongqing Lifan, Guizhou R&F and Henan Jianye all have one slot available but they are at the lower end of the spectrum as far as finances go in China.
Beijing Guoan, Jiangsu Suning and Tianjin Quanjian - are the other three sides who have the funds available to land Rooney - though the latter look unlikely to make a move following Cannavaro's comments.
Here is a breakdown of each Chinese Super League side and their current situation in terms of foreign player slots:
Beijing Guoan: Renato Augusto (Brazil), Ralf (Brazil), Burak Yilmaz (Turkey), fourth spot free
Changchun Yatai: Marinho (Brazil), Szabolcs Huszti (Hungary), Odion Ighalo (Nigeria), fourth spot free
Chongqing Lifan: Fernandinho (Brazil), Alan Kardec (Brazil), Goran Milovic (Croatia), fourth spot free
Guangzhou Evergrande: Alan Carvalho (Brazil), Ricardo Goulart (Brazil), Paulinho (Brazil), Jackson Martinez (Colombia)
Guangzhou R&F: Apostolos Giannou (Australa), Renatinho (Brazil), Junior Urso (Brazil), Eran Zahavi (Israel)
Guizhou HZFC: Ali Ghazal (Egypt), Michael Olunga (Kenya), Tjaronn Chery (Holland), fourth spot free
Hebei China Fortune: Ezequiel Lavezzi (Argentina), Aloisio (Brazil), Hernanes (Brazil), Stephane Mbia (Cameroon)
Henan Jianye: Christian Bassogog (Cameroon), Eddi Gomes (Denmark), Javier Patino (Philippines), fourth spot free
Jiangsu Suning: Ramires (Brazil), Alex Teixeira (Brazil), Roger Martinez (Colombia), fourth spot free
Liaoning Whowin: James Holland (Australia), Assani Lukimya (Zaire), Anthony Ujah (Nigeria), James Chamanga (Zambia)
Shandong Luneng: Gil (Brazil), Diego Tardelli (Brazil), Graziano Pelle (Italy), Papiss Cisse (Senegal)
Shanghai Shenhua: Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Fredy Guarin (Colombia), Giovanni Moreno (Colombia), Obafemi Martins (Nigeria)
Shanghai SIPG: Elkeson (Brazil), Hulk (Brazil), Oscar (Brazil), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal)
Tianjin Quanjian: Axel Witsel (Belgium), Geuvanio (Brazil), Alexandre Pato (Brazil), fourth spot free
Tianjin Teda: Malick Evouna (Gabon), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Mbaye Diagne (Senegal), Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia)
Yanbian Funde: Bubacarr Trawally (Gambia), Richard Guzmics (Hungary), Nikola Petkovic (Serbia), Yoon Bit-Garam (South Korea)
The whole move depends on how talks go with Stretford and the interested clubs in China and if a deal cannot be reached, Rooney will remain at United for the rest of the season before almost certainly taking on a new challenge in the summer.
Watch this space, it could get very interesting...
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester United, Chinese Super League, Wayne Rooney