Wayne Rooney: Five Possible Destinations for Fergie's Prodigal Son

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The smile has vanished. Ferguson and his beloved boy Wayne Rooney are presently at loggerheads over the players exorbitant wage demands and loss of form.

While Fergie had tried to cover-up their differences without creating the least fuss, Rooney on his part objected to stay quiet and brought out their differences in the open and also blowing the cover on Fergie's story of Rooney's injury.

Yesterday the Red Devil's manager published a statement informing that Rooney has made his intentions to leave Old Trafford clear and will not be signing any new contract extensions.

With the release of the statement every elite European club have been alerted and are planning on making a bid for the star striker. Many of the top clubs like Real, Barcelona and Chelsea have already expressed their intentions to sign the 24-year-old United striker.

As the speculation starts to mount as to Rooney's possible destination we take a look into the five possible clubs where Rooney could be headed.

Tottenham Hotspur

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Presently the fifth ranked club in the league table, Spurs' boss Harry Redknapp has already expressed his desire to sign United's want-away star Rooney.

The Tottenham manager has expressed his desire to sign the talented and highly-rated Rooney from United if possible. The Spurs' have been pretty consistent in the new season so far both in the league as well as the Champions League. The arrival of Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart has enhanced their attacking prowess. If they are able to sign Rooney it will be a step in the right direction for Spurs' Champions League ambitions.

Though Tottenham are unlikely to be able to compete with other high-spending clubs but they might well be a good enough place for Rooney to sign for if he is to stay at England. It will help him become a legend if he can achieve European success with the Spurs'.

Manchester City : Galacticos In The Making

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The Old Trafford outfit's cross-town rivals might be the ideal destination for Rooney if he is looking to stay at England.

Reportedly Rooney and United's management are at a stalemate over the players demand of a hefty rise in his paycheck. The club's disagreement to concede to Rooney's wage demands is seen as the reason for the player not signing the contract.

Manchester United's derby rivals presently are in a better financial condition with their oil-rich Arab millionaires infusing millions to create a star-studded squad. City have spent over 150million in signing top quality players into the squad. It includes the likes of Yaya Toure, Mario Ballotelli, George Boateng, David Silva and Alexander Kolarov. They have paid exorbitant transfer fees and player wages and will be more than willing to accept Rooney's wage demands if not give a better offer.

Rooney on his part could avoid the troubles of shifting cities or countries and enjoy the same lifestyle as he is enjoying presently. A move to City would also help his career. If he can blend into City's ambitious projects over the future he can attain stardom and legendary status.

But if a deal for Rooney goes through it will invite huge protests and flak, much bigger than what happened when Tevez moved from United to City.

Latino Heat : Barcelona

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With news becoming public of Rooney's intention to leave Old Trafford the football world prepares for another epic transfer saga in the coming months.

Spanish giants Barcelona, who have long been interested in United star Rooney will be looking to land him this time to add to their glowing squad. Barca manager Pep Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of Rooney and has made clear his intentions to sign the Englishman.

Barca might make a £25million bid for the estranged striker during the winter transfer window. But Rooney might be unable to gel with the Catalans' style of play as his style of action football is not in tandem with the Nou Camp outfit's patient and planned movements.

Moreover, Guardiola has already has a very formidable attack and adding Rooney could only increase the number of competitors and selection headache for Guardiola. But nevertheless, Rooney's arrival in the squad could be like the diamond on the crown for the Catalian giants.

Chelsea : Abramovich's Money at Play

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Chelsea manager Ancelotti has expressed his interests in signing Wayne Rooney. The Italian tactician has stated that if United invites bids Chelsea would make a move for the Red Devil's striker.

The defending Premier League champions have been pulled a string to their spending in order to balance their books as well as avoid UEFA bans. But if the chance to sign the 24-year-old Englishman comes Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich might part with his millions to sign him.

Though Drogba, who has been in awesome form will likely keep his place at the tip of Chelsea's attack Rooney could fill in a deep lying position and Rooney-Drogba combination could well become the most dangerous partnerships of all. Chelsea's style of aggressive play also combines well with Rooney's attacking mentality.

If Rooney stays in England, Chelsea could be the best place for him as he would enjoy company of equally quality players.  Moreover, Chelsea could afford his huge wage demands unlike most of the other English clubs.

Another Galacticos :Real Madrid

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The Bernabeau giants are known buyers of United's prodigal sons. Be it David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo, the Spanish giants are known to be admirers of Fergie's wonder-boys.

The common thing in all these transfer has been that Real have paid hefty sums to land them. The people at the helm of the club will see this as an opportunity to bring on another Galactico. If they are able to sign the ex-Everton boy it will make Real Madrid a dream team with Kaka, Ronaldo and Rooney alongwith Jose Mourinho.

Real have a good chance to land United's want-away star because of Rooney's good relations with Ronaldo. The two have made a deadly combination earlier and Real manager Jose Mourinho would surely love to rekindle that partnership once again under his guidance.

But it is suspected that Wayne Rooney could be unwilling to make a move to Spain due to language problems. Though Real looks the most likely destination for Rooney nothing can be predicted as yet and we could well see Rooney in the Premier League next season but in a different jersey.