Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Blues Must Abandon Pursuit of Wayne Rooney

Chelsea has been linked with several big-name strikers this summer, but none more notable than Manchester United star Wayne Rooney. 

According to the Mirror's Lee Neville, the Blues are now the favorites to land Rooney if he and United agree to part ways at some point this offseason. 

However, United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward has made it clear that the club won't be dealing Rooney any time soon. Per Neville:

"I’m not ­surprised clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal want Wayne – he’s a top player. He’s not for sale and we won’t be ­selling him."

It's possible that Woodward could be bluffing or that United's stance on moving Rooney could change, but Chelsea can't afford to gamble at this point. The Blues missed out on Radamel Falcao earlier this summer and have yet to add a dynamic striking talent.

Marco van Ginkel was a huge signing in midfield, but Jose Mourinho can't be content to move forward with Fernando Torres as his top striking option. At least not in his current form. The 29-year-old hasn't been nearly as productive in three seasons with Chelsea as he was with Liverpool from 2007 to 2011.

Torres has just 15 Premier League goals in 82 appearances for Chelsea.

Mourinho also brought in Andre Schurrle this offseason, but the 22-year-old German isn't ready for such a massive role and will likely see time as a substitute early on. Still, van Ginkel and Schurrle remain two positives from this summer's transfer window.

But with United having a firm grasp on Rooney, Mourinho and Chelsea would be best suited to abandon their pursuit of the elite forward and look elsewhere for cheaper, more realistic options.

There's still time for the Blues to target other attacking options.

No, Chelsea likely won't be able to find a player of Rooney's caliber on the market, but it has a strong enough core in place already that it doesn't need to pick up a marquee name this summer in order to have a shot in 2013-14.

The Blues are just a few pieces away from contending with Manchester United and Manchester City, and shouldn't be desperate to acquire a superstar.

More importantly, it doesn't appear that United is going to part ways with Wayne Rooney this summer, especially if it means him joining a club they will face twice in the Premier League next season. Therefore, Chelsea shouldn't waste any more time chasing down an unreachable star.

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