Wayne Rooney Left in Limbo by Chelsea as Jose Mourinho Plays Waiting Game

Wayne Rooney's future will ultimately come down to a tussle for power between Premier League title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, after Jose Mourinho revealed he will put the transfer on the back burner until after Monday’s giant collision between the two clubs.

Mourinho addressed the situation following Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday, which sent the Blues to the top of the table ahead of their trip to Old Trafford. Neil Moxley of the Daily Mail provides Mourinho's update:

I don’t want Chelsea to do it before we go there and everybody in the club in the board they agree with me. There is time to do things.
We did it before and we will do later but what I think with this period where we are going to be quiet and just be thinking just about that game.

Mourinho’s latest comments reveal two key things: Chelsea will definitely make another bid for the Manchester United star, but Rooney's signature is very much secondary to their focus on winning this season’s Premier League title.
Initial reports had claimed Chelsea’s next—and potentially final—approach for the England international would be in the region of £40 million. However, David Maddock of the Daily Mirror reports a figure somewhat lower than that at the £30 million mark.