Transfer news: Wayne Rooney will finally become a Manchester United player later today with Everton confident a compromise can be reached over a performance-related clause incorporated within a £26 million deal ahead of the transfer deadline.
The Everton chairman Bill Kenwright met United's chief executive David Gill for talks over the proposed move after yesterday's goalless draw between the two teams at Old Trafford. While the pair departed with the situation as yet unresolved and Rooney still in limbo, negotiations resumed last night over the chunk of the transfer directly related to the player's and United's future success.
Everton are anxious to ensure that those extra monies can realistically be triggered and, to that end, were attempting to link them to the player's future appearances for United and the team's qualification for the Champions League rather than him gaining specific European or domestic honours. Kenwright is still hoping that the performance-related fee will be set at £6 million, with United currently offering £5 million.
As it stands, the Everton chairman is willing to accept United paying the main transfer fee in two instalments with £10 million to be delivered up front and another £10 million due next summer.
The second payment will be taken out of Alex Ferguson's transfer budget for the 2005/'06 season, with Everton also insistent upon a sell-on clause of 25 per cent of any future fee for Rooney above £26 million.
That would effectively mean that, should the teenager be sold by United at some stage for £40 million, then Everton would be due a further £3.5 million to take the 18-year-old's overall transfer fee to nearer the Merseysiders' initial £30 million valuation.
Gill, flanked by Ferguson and United's director and solicitor Maurice Watkins, initially proved resistant to those demands yesterday, arguing that the bottom has long since fallen out of the transfer market. The chief executive cited Cristiano Ronaldo's £12.24 million transfer from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford and Jose Antonio Reyes' move from Arsenal for an initial £10.5 million as examples of comparable players switching to the Premiership for relatively small fees in the last year.
Yet Everton and David Moyes, who also attended the talks, have made no secret of the fact that clubs have to pay a premium to buy young English players. Kenwright stuck by that argument when discussions resumed last night with United expected to concede to their wishes in an effort to complete the move.
Rooney can realistically expect to undergo a medical at a private hospital in Cheshire this morning, having only ruled out joining Newcastle after the Tyneside club sacked their manager Bobby Robson yesterday.
The England striker should pass those medical tests, despite him still recovering from a broken metatarsal sustained during Euro 2004.
Rooney has witnessed the furious reaction of Everton supporters - offensive graffiti has been sprayed on the walls of Goodison Park and the nearby Gwladys Street infants' school - with the travelling fans making their feelings known again during yesterday's stalemate.
As a result he has made telephone calls to club officials to express how desperate he is to move away and pleading with them to smooth his passage out of the club, with Everton having reluctantly conceded that he will not play for them again.
Guardian Service
