Football - Paper Round: Guardiola to sign Rooney

So that’s where he is going. Soon-to-be Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly set to offer Wayne Rooney a get-out with a bid for a summer move to Germany.

Guardiola is, The Times report, anxious to add a big-name striker to his Bayern squad for next season’s campaign, with Rooney set to snub the offer of a pay cut at Old Trafford in favour of a move to the Bavarian giants.

Sir Alex Ferguson was adamant in his Friday press conference that Rooney was still wanted at Manchester United next season but the forward, who was controversially dropped for the second leg of the Champions League tie, is understood to be keen to move on.
The German club are one of the few who could afford Rooney, with his current pay at United believed to be £220,000 a week and United understood to be pricing the 27-year-old forward at £20m.
The Times cites Guardiola saying of Rooney: “He’s one of the greatest players in the world, as there are very few players with his qualities”.read after cut...


Preliminary inquiries have already been made on Bayern’s behalf, according to the paper.
The Sunday Mirror has excitedly reported that Real Madrid will offer a £110m package to Tottenham in a bid to prize away Gareth Bale.
The ‘package’ will amount to a £60m bid for the flying Welshman, and a £10m-a-year, five-year deal for the player himself in a bid to force Spurs’ hand over a summer move.
Tottenham are understood to be prepared to shatter their own wage structure and offer Bale a new deal of £170,000-a-week if they secure qualification for the Champions League, but Real are reportedly keen to trump any new contract.
The same paper ‘reveal’ that Barcelona are lining up a £20m bid for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, who is believed to be top of the Catalan club’s summer wishlist.
Kompany is seen as the ideal replacement for Carles Puyol at the heart of the Barcelona defence, and the Sunday Mirror’s Steve Bates says City “could demand up to £20m for their skipper”.

Elsewhere, Spanish newspaper Sport reveal that Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain is targeting a move to a London-based Premier League club in the summer, with Tottenham believed to be top of his list.
The 25-year-old forward is reportedly very keen to move to England and test himself in the Premier League, and Spurs are understood to be his preferred club if Andre Villas-Boas’s side secure Champions League qualification.
The Sunday Express report that Carlos Tevez, Manchester City’s hat-trick hero against Barnsley on Saturday, will join Monaco in the summer.
And finally, Arsenal are to make another move for 29-year-old Malaga midfielder Jeremy Toulalan over the summer, according to numerous papers.