Manchester United Transfer Rumours: David Moyes Must Let Wayne Rooney Leave

In a transfer saga set to rival that of Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney's position at Manchester United could become clearer this week with the striker reportedly considering an official transfer request.

The Daily Mail believes the England striker will attempt to force through a move from Old Trafford by handing in a formal document to manager David Moyes within the coming days.

This follows reports, from the BBC among others, that United have turned down a second bid from Chelsea for the former Everton man.

The offer, which journalist Ben Smith reported as being £25 million plus add-ons, is a significant improvement on the Blues' initial bid of £20 million, but still was not enough to tempt Moyes into parting with the wantaway forward.

But should the Scot bow to Rooney's demands and let him leave for Stamford Bridge?

Well yes, of course.

As Moyes will be all too aware, when a player wants to leave they tend to get their way, provided the buying club have deep enough pockets to stump up an acceptable transfer fee.

The former Everton boss experienced this scenario on many occasions during his 11-year tenure at Goodison Park, most noticeably with Rooney's move to United and Joleon Lescott's protracted transfer to Manchester City.

Player power, as it has become commonly known, has resulted from the influx of money-hungry agents and the development of business-savvy footballers with more than just Saturday's results on their mind.

Although Rooney's decision to seek a move away from Old Trafford will have a financial element, there's also a strong chance that football reasons will have played a part in the striker's desire to move.

The 27-year-old played second-fiddle to Robin van Persie last season and Moyes has indicated that he sees the Dutchman as his No. 1 forward heading into the new campaign.

Rooney should be entering the most productive years of his career and the thought of sitting on the bench or being played out of position is unlikely to have done anything other than convince him to get out of Old Trafford.

The chance to spearhead Jose Mourinho's second Chelsea revolution is clearly an attractive one, and if the reports are correct the Liverpool-born attacker is ready and willing to fight for it to become a reality.

Moyes must learn from his experiences at Everton and realise that fighting a player who has his heart set on leaving is futile.

Instead, he and the club should negotiate the best-possible deal, collect the cash and move on while there's still time to strengthen the squad before the transfer window slams shut.

Banking £30 million could give the Red Devils that little bit extra to lure Cesc Fabregas from the Camp Nou or Leighton Baines from down the M62.

There's no shame in selling Rooney to one of their Premier League rivals, providing it's not on deadline day. In fact, it could turn out to be the smartest move Moyes makes all summer.