No, they won't. Nor would he be going there for free. Work life balance applies even to Rooney and, I would imagine, especially his wife.
I would imagine United would get a hefty transfer fee from China which they wouldn't from anywhere else.
I can see him going to the MLS - he knows plenty of players that have made the move already, he seems on particularly good terms with Slippy G who will no doubt report in glowing terms about what a piece of pi** it is to rip money off the yanks for a couple of years before they suss you out. It also puts him and his family in easy reach of their beloved Barbados and him, in particular, right on top of some of the most calorific meals in the world.........win,win.
FFS - when we were desperate for him to stay he wanted away - now we would like to free up his wages and get rid, he wants to stay. This must be his sleazeball agent's latest wheeze ............. they can't squeeze any more wages out of us, so he will hang around like crap on a shoe until we pay we pay him enough to leave.
Apparently his agent wants United to subsidise his new salary. The team really has moved on and he is surplus to requirements. When Young is chosen above you then you know your goose is cooked.
Load of bollacks, of course he is staying, until the end of the season, then he will probably go to America for a swansong. A lot has been made of the fact his agent went to China, is Rooney the only player on his books? We are still in 4 competitions and lost 2 players in January, it would not make sense to lose another one before the end of the season.
The point is not that they have to agree though. We can't compare those three players to Rooney. They main purpose of manager is keeping egos in check. To have Rooney on the bench and keep things in check is very remarkable. Something England and United managers have struggled with for years.
He'll have a straight choice imo Matt, either stay in the best league in the World and try to prove quite a few wrong back at his boyhood club, or go to the States or China for more money but a virtual early retirement. If his maggot agent has his way he'll chase the money, but for us to come out and say what we did yesterday then I reckon we've been given some encouragement that he fancies it.
For me, he has 2 options, Either Everton or MLS in my opinion, I can't see him going to China personally.