Manchester United Transfer News: Red Devils Right to Price Wayne Rooney High

Manchester United may allow Wayne Rooney to leave, but he won't come cheap. The Red Devils have rejected two offers from Chelsea already and maintained the star isn't for sale.

Of course, we've heard that before and still seen players move. Per Jim Daly of The Daily Mirror, the latest offer of £25 million has been called an insult by former Manchester United player Bryan Robson.

No one knows if Rooney will be moved, but if he is allowed to leave Old Trafford, the price tag should be hefty. Chelsea seems to be the most-likely destination and the club has shown a healthy amount of desperation in their pursuit of the No. 10.

On one hand, this is a simple matter of leverage. Because Manchester United has the coveted player under contract, they are in the driver's seat and should drive the asking price as high as possible.

Secondly, it is hard to account for what Rooney means to the Red Devils in dollars and cents. For a long while, Rooney was the face of football at Old Trafford. He still has a large contingent of fans within the club's following.

Rooney has scored 197 goals in 402 appearances. That is good for fourth in the club's illustrious history and he's still only 27 years old.

Losing him would not only transfer a star to a Premier League rival, but it would move a very marketable player as well.

While no one player has enough of a following to do any real damage to the reputation of Manchester United by departing, Rooney has certainly helped increase the club's mammoth marketability during his tenure.

Per Market Watch, the club's sales and revenue numbers have increased year over year since 2009. While Rooney certainly can't be credited with this monetary success exclusively, it is hard not to imagine that a player who has been the face of the club hasn't played a big role in increasing positive attention.

If the decision is made to part ways, no matter what the Red Devils get for Rooney, getting full value may be impossible, or at the very least, hard to gauge.

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