West Bromwich Albion are launching a sensational last ditch bid to sign Wayne Rooney ahead of Derby County according to the Birmingham Mail.
It was reported late yesterday that the former Manchester United star was arriving in England for talks with Derby ahead of a potential player-coach role.
However it is believed that fellow Championship side West Brom are looking to thwart a potential deal for Rooney and bring him to the Hawthorns.
Rooney starred for Man United for 13 years before making the move to Goodison Park to play for boyhood club Everton in 2017 before jetting off to the US to join Major League Soccer outfit D.C. United.
At 33-years-old a move to America could have seen the winding down of Rooney’s career but far from it as he bagged twelve goals last season and already has eleven during the current campaign.
Rooney still has two years left on his MLS contract but has previously talked of his desire to go into management at some point. He is set for advanced talks over a switch to Derby later today.
It’s understood the deal will cost around £100,000 a week and will be supported by commercial sponsors as Derby work to comply with financial fair play guidelines.
However, West Brom sporting director Luke Dowling has contacted Rooney’s representatives and is exploring the possibility of mounting a rival bid to take the 33-year old to the Hawthorns and link up with Slaven Bilic.
The lure of a manager as high profile as Slaven Bilic may also tempt Rooney which would undoubtedly be a huge coup for either of the Championship sides.
