Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Shouldn't Waste Time with Wayne Rooney

Arsenal are looking to make some improvements to their squad during the August transfer window and it appears Wayne Rooney is their next target.

According to John Cross of the Daily Mirror, the Gunners are now making a play for the Manchester United star after their attempts at Luis Suarez were thwarted following his reconciliation with Liverpool:

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Arsene Wenger has made a sensational new move for Wayne Rooney.

It comes as Luis Suarez returned to training with his Liverpool team-mates after apologising to the club yesterday for his recent conduct. Arsenal’s shock Rooney enquiry shows they are now looking at other options with Liverpool determined not to sell to the Gunners.

However, Mirror Sport understands Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has made an approach to Manchester United and the Rooney camp was also sounded out this week.

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There is no question that adding a player the caliber of Rooney will go a long way in helping Arsenal improve drastically. Also, it appears that Rooney is willing to part ways with United because he is reportedly unhappy there and is looking to leave Old Trafford.

Cross's report also points out that Rooney may be interested in joining Arsenal but that Chelsea are hot on his trail, despite being rebuffed by United more than once.

However, it's now well-known that United have no interest in selling the striker to any team, as has been said by boss David Moyes. Adding to his unwillingness to let Rooney go, Moyes has made it clear that United are looking to be active before the September 2 deadline hits.

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There are no more developments and we don't want any more developments because we've told everybody—which I've said before—that he's not for sale.

I'll have to see how he is when I get back [to Manchester]. When I get back later on I'll try and assess him and see how he's done.

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Granted, Moyes did leave a bit of an open window there with his desire to "assess" Rooney when he returns to Manchester, but that's a very small window to say the least after being so adamant about keeping the player.

Besides, as last year's English Premier League champions, United are quite keen on defending their crown this season and Rooney is a huge key to doing just that. Selling off Rooney would not only hurt United's chances but also alienate nearly an entire fanbase with dreams of a repeat.

So at this point, the Gunners are hanging by a thread in their hopes of landing Rooney. He's just the impact player Arsenal needs but it doesn't look like he's going anywhere and with the transfer window set to close in a few weeks, time is of the essence in the squad's search for improvement.

Instead, Arsenal would be much better off exerting their resources elsewhere in order to make a move as the season starts.

It's safe to say Arsenal shouldn't be putting all of their eggs in the Rooney basket and should continue to look around for other potential deals that could be on the table.

Waiting around too long for Rooney could end up leaving Arsenal with nothing when the transfer window slams shut.