Chelsea Transfer News: Drogba, Rooney, De Rossi And Lukaku Discussed In Latest Rumors

The future of Chelsea target Wayne Rooney has taken another turn with Manchester United manager David Moyes suggesting that the forward will not be first-choice next season and that the club’s current resolve to hold onto him could be revisited next summer. Rooney has just entered the final two years of his contract, but United chief executive Ed Woodward has said that there are no current plans for talks over an extension. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that Rooney asked to leave Old Trafford last season and subsequently Chelsea have been strongly linked with the England international, with some reports even suggesting that a bid has already been lodged.

Rooney’s unhappiness is believed to derive from his falling down the pecking order with the arrival of Robin van Persie, but Moyes has intimated that the situation may not change anytime soon.

“Wayne can play up on his own, he can play dropped in,” Moyes said, according to The Guardian. “Overall my thought on Wayne is, if for any reason we had an injury to Robin van Persie, we'll need him.”

While Moyes has repeatedly insisted that Rooney is not for sale, he has been unable to give similar assurances about the player’s commitment to the club. On the back of Moyes’s latest comments, it remains to be seen whether the 27-year-old will look to force through a move, especially if a serious bid is made by Chelsea.

There is little doubt that Jose Mourinho’s search for a forward this summer has so far proved frustrating. So much so, in fact, that Mourinho is now considering bringing back Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, at least according to the Daily Mirror. The 35-year-old left Stamford Bridge for Shanghai Shenhua after scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final in 2012. After a short and unsuccessful spell in China he returned to Europe in January to sign an 18-month deal with Galatasaray.

The Mirror reports that Drogba was at Chelsea’s training ground last week and spoke with Mourinho, with the Portuguese believed to be keen on once again working with a player with whom he has retained a close relationship since managing him during his first spell at Chelsea. Prying him away from Galatasaray could prove problematic, however, with the alternative of Drogba taking up a coaching role at Stamford Bridge next year also mooted.

The arrival of Drogba this summer would likely not be good news for the man originally signed as his long-term replacement, Romelu Lukaku. After a successful loan spell with West Brom last season, the 20-year-old has returned to Stamford Bridge and has said that he has spoken to Mourinho reiterated that he is not interested in another short-term move away.

"Yeah we spoke and I want to keep it private because when you have confidential talks with the manager, it has to stay between you and him," Lukaku told Sky Sports News. "We had a good talk and now it's up to me."

When asked whether he was considering a loan move, he responded: "No, not at the moment. You never know in football but my mind is in Chelsea now and I have come back to do well in pre-season and if I do a good pre-season, I think I will have a place in the squad and hopefully in the starting 11.”

It is also believed that Mourinho remains keen to sign a dominant midfielder and is focused on securing Roma’s Daniele de Rossi. Despite his fierce loyalty to Roma throughout his career, there are reports that the 29-year-old could be on the market this summer. The Serie A side’s new manager Rudi Garcia though, sees no reason to let the Italy international depart.

"He is a great player and surely it's better to have him with us than to see him leave,” he explained, according to Goal.com.

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