With the season reaching the stage where there is little to play for in the eyes of many Premier League sides, talk inevitably begins to turn towards transfers once again.
Whilst it is still months before anyone can make a move once again, with the Chinese Super League’s window having only just closed less than a month ago, clubs will have their number one targets firmly in their sights.
Just as they were last summer, with the protracted saga surrounding the world record deal for midfielder Paul Pogba, Manchester United look set to be at the forefront of summer dealings once again.
With the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic still up in the air, a hunt for a replacement is well and truly underway and the powers that be at Old Trafford may not be looking far. Reports surrounding Romelu Lukaku suggest that manager Jose Mourinho is prepared to battle in order to bring him to the red half of Manchester.
Furthermore, there are decisions to be made over the likes of Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian and the contract for David de Gea.
However, one deal which will surely take a multitude of headlines, on both the front and back pages, is that for United and England captain Wayne Rooney.
The striker, who broke the club’s all time goal scoring record earlier this season when he bagged a late free-kick at Stoke to take his tally above that of Sir Bobby Charlton’s to 250 goal, has seen his place in the squad diminish at an unprecedented rate since the start of the campaign.
The former Everton youngster, thus, has become the one to watch this summer in terms of transfer movements. Regardless of his performances in recent years, it will be a sad day when Rooney does leave Manchester United, and he will leave a legend.
However, there is no time like the present and, as Mourinho looks to overhaul and revitalise the squad bequeathed to him by Louis van Gaal, it may be time to say goodbye to the famous No.10.
Whilst it seems the right time to part ways, Rooney has still shown flashes of class in his elder playing years and they must be careful where he goes. His former club Everton, as well as east Londoners West Ham, have confirmed their interest since January, however, there are much better options for the club.
There will be plenty of suitors across Europe, Asia and America looking to secure a deal for Rooney. It may seem the right thing to be letting him go, however, if they do not deal with it in the correct manner and accept a bid from the first side that come along, their hero could come back to bite them next season.