Rooney to Real and other transfer gossip

Real Madrid have made Wayne Rooney their top summer transfer target and are ready to test Manchester United’s resolve by waving a cool £60m under their noses. And with Rooney mentioning a few months ago that playing alongside former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Real excites him, United fans will be nervous that the club’s American owners succumb to the temptation and sell the talismanic striker. Elsewhere, Liverpool are poised to bring in Atletico Madrid winger Maxi Rodrigez on loan - but he will have to offload striker Andriy Voronin first to free up space on their wage bill; Tottenham are poised to make a £12m swoop for Manchester City right-back Micah Richards, while City will bolster their defence by signing Sol Campbell on a short-term deal; and Celtic are interested in Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy, who would be allowed to leave Ewood Park for £2.5m.