Everton worry over 'unsigned' Rooney
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Your support makes all the difference.Everton moved quickly yesterday to try and secure Wayne Rooney, their teenage sensation, to a long-term deal after it emerged that the 17-year-old is still on their books as a "scholar" and could move immediately.
News of early and very tentative inquiries from the European champions, Real Madrid, last week sent a ripple of fear through the club. Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, met with leading Goodison officials yesterday as the club attempt to hurry through a deal three months after the striker became old enough to sign his first professional contract with the club.
It is a delicate situation as Rooney would be 23 by the end of a six-year contract, and it has not been easy to estimate how much he would then be worth. Both sides are near to agreeing on his initial salary and signing-on fees, which would earn him in the region of £500,000 for his first season. But, by the age of 23, Rooney could be the most wanted player in the world and able to command significantly more.
There is also the new issue of image rights, the stumbling block in David Beckham's deal last year, and again now in the Rooney talks.
If there is a total breakdown – and both sides want to avoid that – then there is nothing stopping Rooney from moving. Everton would be entitled to a fee if he went now, but that figure is worked out by a tribunal and might be just a fraction of what he is worth as a signed player.
The United States international striker Brian McBride has been granted a work permit, allowing him to join Everton on a three-month loan from the Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. The Egypt defender Ibrahim Said has also agreed to a move to Goodison Park on loan from Al Ahly.
The Manchester City goalkeeper, Nicky Weaver, is wanted on loan by Ipswich Town.
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