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Wayne Rooney will tell David Moyes that he wants a fresh start at Manchester United when he holds his first serious discussions with the new manager this week.
Moyes left for his summer break intending to keep the striker at Old Trafford so there is hope on both sides that Rooney's future can be settled and talks can then move on to a fresh deal.
Only two years remain on Rooney's current £300,000-a-week contract and if fresh terms can be agreed they will be on a more incentivised basis, in line with a widespread move in the domestic game.
Rooney's desire is to remain at United because he recognises a transfer at this point of his career to any other English club represents a step down. He has no wish to uproot his young family, following last month's birth of his second son, Klay, and with his wife, Coleen, settled in the north-west, a move abroad is not his preferred option.
Rooney and Moyes have not yet been able to meet because the forward's former manager at Everton does not officially succeed Sir Alex Ferguon until 1 July and both have been on holiday.
They return this week and Rooney will begin talks with his priority to indicate to Moyes that despite difficulties under Ferguson last season, he wishes to remain at United.
With incentives, Rooney's current deal makes him the Premier League's highest paid footballer with earnings of about £300,000 a week. Of this the basic salary is close to the £250,000 mark. But following the trend of other Premier League clubs, United will not wish to offer such a high base-level again to the player who agitated for a move to rivals Manchester City in October 2010, only to be persuaded by Ferguson to stay.
As with Yaya Touré's recently signed contract at Manchester City, any new deal will be more heavily incentivised, raising the prospect that Rooney could again earn close to his current level of pay.
Although United maintain Rooney is not for sale, if negotiations between the two sides did break down the best course for both player and club might be for him to leave. The difficulty, though, lies in the limited number of suitors who could match United's £35m valuation – though they may have to accept closer to £25m – and Rooney's wage demands.
Chelsea are thought to retain an interest in him and their head coach, José Mourinho, recently said: "Rooney is at a fantastic age. He has maturity, big experience and he's still young. It's up to him what he wants, what makes him happy."
Arsenal have also indicated that they could now afford a player of Rooney's status, with Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive, making the claim at the start of the month. Last season representatives of Paris Saint-Germain – a club which, like City, is backed by oil-rich owners – also revealed their admiration for him.
Rooney's future is in the balance after an uneven season for United in which Ferguson repeatedly played him out of position and dropped him for the campaign's biggest match, the Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid at Old Trafford in March.
Last month Rooney met Ferguson to discuss his prospects at United, and the forward requested to leave in the summer if he could not be guaranteed a regular starting place. Yet the meeting occurred before Ferguson announced his retirement, and the dynamic has changed markedly following Moyes's arrival.
Rooney played under Moyes when he made his professional debut at Everton in 2002 and despite relations breaking down after the Scot sued the forward for comments written in his autobiography there are no unresolved issues between them.
Three years ago Rooney telephoned Moyes to apologise for his comments, a decision the 50-year-old manager has since publicly praised.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jun/22/manchester-united-wayne-rooneyWayne staying, let's have a party
