Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Blues Must Not Swap Juan Mata in Wayne Rooney Deal

Wayne Rooney has two feet out the door at Old Trafford, and according to multiple reports, the Manchester United striker has his sights set on a potential move to Stamford Bridge.

But before the 27-year-old can end his summer of discontent, Chelsea are going to have to make an offer Manchester United can’t refuse.

According to Martin Lipton of the Daily Mirror, new boss Jose Mourinho hasn’t put that package forward yet—but he may be coming close:

"

Chelsea today went to war with Manchester United over Wayne Rooney.

In a remarkable statement, which followed reports from the United tour in Australia, the Stamford Bridge outfit angrily denied they had made an offer of £10million plus Juan Mata or David Luiz for the England ace.

"

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Chelsea actually did make a bid for Rooney. After all, the superstar striker is extremely unhappy playing behind Robin van Persie and wants to find a better situation, per Jamie Jackson of The Guardian.

While Chelsea denied ever offering such a package, that doesn’t necessarily mean the reports aren’t true. Should Chelsea be covering up an actual offer that involved Juan Mata, they should probably reconsider their approach.

There’s no denying the allure of landing a scorer like Rooney—and several clubs are reportedly interested in doing just that, per David Hytner and Dominic Fifield of The Guardian—but the Blues simply cannot afford to get overzealous in their pursuit. Mata shouldn’t even be on the table.

Manchester United have very little leverage in the situation now that Rooney has essentially burned his last bridge. The Red Devils can hold on to him until his contract runs dry in two years, but they won’t necessarily convince him to play out those seasons.

As such, Rooney is almost certain to be on the move, and United aren’t going to hold out for a can’t-miss deal to sell him.

With plenty of leverage, Chelsea can probably offer a deal that comes in under Rooney’s expected value. That may require a larger sum than the £10 million in cash the Blues reportedly offered, but they may be able to avoid swapping a player in that scenario.

Mata is arguably Chelsea’s greatest asset, and while Mourinho hasn’t been shy about voicing his desire to retool the club’s roster this summer, he doesn’t have to dismantle it from the top down. Mata must stay put for the Blues to make the most of this opportunity.

At 25, the club’s second-leading goalscorer in Premier League play is incredibly valuable as both an attacking threat and an asset. Even if Chelsea decide to move Mata at a later time, they can still expect to get a sizeable sum in return.

Should they keep Mata and still manage to acquire Rooney, they would be in a situation to field two incredibly gifted scorers and augment an attack that scored an impressive 75 goals last term. Without Mata, Rooney would be short a top-shelf wingman, save for Eden Hazard.

The Blues have some depth already, but the possibilities would be almost endless with Rooney, Mata and Hazard all in the fold. If Chelsea can acquire the Manchester United man without parting with Mata, they’ll be in position to possibly usurp Rooney’s current club in the Premier League next season.