Chelsea launch Rooney bid

been encouraged that he can still land the striker this summer.
Although Rooney was told by David Moyes last week that he will not be allowed to leave United, there are issues which remain unresolved.
Rooney, who has two years left on his Old Trafford deal, is showing no sign of backing down and Chelsea want to take advantage.

He will cost about £30m if United can be persuaded to sell but that will not be an issue for Chelsea.
Mourinho, who took charge of first-team training yesterday for the first time after the summer break, wants to give Rooney a fresh start at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho is also monitoring Luis Suarez’s position at Liverpool and has asked his advisers to be kept informed about his position.

Arsenal are also monitoring the Uruguayan but remain focused on rubber-stamping Gonzalo Higuain’s protracted move from Real Madrid.
Higuain has agreed to join the Gunners in a deal that could be worth up to £150,000 a week to the Argentine.
But the clubs are still around £2m apart in terms of a transfer fee — with Real demanding £25m.

Barcelona have launched a £30million bid for David Luiz — but Chelsea will refuse to sell him at that price.
Barca, who for all of their quality remain short of options at the back, are prepared to increase their offer for the talented defender who they view as the long-term successor to captain Carles Puyol.

Sources claim it is 50-50 whether Luiz will stay at Chelsea.
He has become a key player since his arrival from Benfica in January 2011 but he is tempted by joining arguably Europe’s strongest team.
In addition to lining up alongside Gerard Pique or Puyol, Luiz would be playing alongside Brazil team-mates Dani Alves and Neymar.

Barca last season were forced to play midfielders Javier Mascherano or Alex Song at the back in Puyol’s absence and it is this, combined with Luiz’s ability to bring the ball out of defence, that makes him their top target.

Mourinho revealed he is ready to shake off the criticisms of his playing style and play the attacking football that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich wants.
The Portuguese manager, who is starting pre-season in his second spell at Chelsea this week, took charge of his first session back armed with an iPad.
Mourinho shared a joke with Frank Lampard and Gary Cahill as he put his new squad through their paces on a boiling hot afternoon in Cobham.

The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager’s ruthless brand of football has been called into question in the past, but now he wants to shape the team’s mentality and excite the fans through free-flowing football.

‘I want to make the Chelsea fans happy — by results, by our playing style, by the mentality and the personality of the team,’ he said.
“They have to know that there are three options in the match — where we can win, draw or lose – but we always give everything.’

Speaking of his impeccable record at his clubs’ home grounds, Mourinho said he is willing to ch0ance his arm when it comes to switching tactics.
“I know in my record at Chelsea — also at Inter and Madrid — that I made many decisions that helped my teams.
“If I gamble, as you sometimes call it in England, with a very risky decision, it can go the wrong way.

“How many times did I play here with three defenders? I remember against West Ham (in April 2006), we were losing 1-0 and we were playing with 10 men after Maniche got a red card early in the game.

“I still gambled because I wanted to win with 10 men — and we did win, 4-1.” But, as he embarks on his first pre-season after returning to the club, he has a host of new faces to manage — including his first two summer signings Andre Schurrle and Marco van Ginkel.

The duo played a game of pool at the club’s Cobham training centre as they linked up with their new team-mates. And Mourinho wants stalwarts from his previous success — like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech — to embed his famous winning mentality in the younger members of the squad.

“Of course, there are senior players still at the club who can do the same and this is the legacy of the club culture — as some guys are arriving, they have others who can transmit to them immediately what this club means.

“One day, these older players will finish and the younger guys now will be the older ones in the future, so the Chelsea culture is continuously passed on from one generation to the next.” — Mailonline.