Tabloids report United and Everton discussing Rooney - Lukaku swap

As far as preposterous transfer rumours go, this one is right up there with the most epic ones of them all, and there’s a twist to it too depending on who you’re listening to.

The Mirror are reporting that after talks between Wayne Rooney adviser Paul Stretford and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright earlier today, Manchester United are looking for a swap deal between the two clubs with Romelu Lukaku going the other way. Apparently United will also pay the bulk of Rooney’s astronomical wages, £180,000 per week out of his current £230,000 weekly, as the Blues are reluctant to destroy their wage structure for a legend on the wane.

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Meanwhile, the Daily Mail is looking to one up the Mirror, claiming that Jose Mourinho has made up his feud with Lukaku and is looking to gazump Chelsea’s approach for the Belgian striker with a world record bid of his own. Everton have valued Lukaku at £100 million, and apparently United are willing to break their own world record fee they paid last summer for Paul Pogba with another deal for the Frenchman’s close friend, basketball partner and fellow rapper. They do add that adding Rooney would be a makeweight in the deal, which would make it less than a world record amount though.

Make of the two stories what you will, knowing that the truth probably lies somewhere outside both sets of rumours. In the meantime, which deal would you rather have?