Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has agreed a deal to re-join his first club Everton, sources close to the player have confirmed to Yahoo Sport.
Rooney has been strongly linked with a move to Everton throughout 2017, yet there have been suggestions in recent weeks that the former England captain would remain at United and battle to regain his place in manager Jose Mourinho’s first team.
Now Yahoo Sport understands that a deal to bring Rooney back to the club he left in the summer of 2004 is in place, with the 31-year-old set to complete his move back to Goodison Park in the ‘next few days’.
Rooney is believed to have agreed a ‘substantial’ wage cut to seal his move back to Everton, as he has agreed to join the only English club he confirmed he wanted to join if he left United.
Rumours of the deal for Rooney to return to the club he has supported all his life leaked out late on Tuesday evening, with United officials refusing to be drawn on the story as the striker prepared to bring down the curtain on a career that saw him break Bobby Chartlon’s all-time United scoring record last season.
Mourinho is believed to have informed Rooney that he is free to leave this summer, but he is under no pressure to quit the club he has scored 253 goals for in a trophy-laden stay at Old Trafford.
Now Rooney appears to have decided to leave in search of regular first-team football, with Everton boss Ronald Koeman open to the prospect of the veteran striker returning.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright will be realising a major ambition by bringing Rooney back to Goodison Park and while there are reservations over his ability to perform at the highest level, his new club appreciate the commercial selling power the striker still commands to a worldwide audience.
Rooney’s arrival at Everton is expected to precede the departure of their star striker Romelu Lukaku, who has been strongly linked with a move to join Chelsea.
Yet it is it the prospect of Rooney from Manchester United that is set to dominate the sporting agenda in the next few days, with Everton expected to confirm his arrival imminently.
