French second-tier club AS Monaco eyeing Rooney swoop

London: Mega-rich French club AS Monaco, which is heading for promotion in France, is ready to launch a bid to sign Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

Monaco, managed by ex-Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, wants to mark its top-flight return by making Rooney their marquee summer signing. Monaco officials have told Rooney`s camp they are prepared to blow their rivals "out of the water" with a huge transfer fee and tax-free wage deal. Fellow super-rich French side Paris St-Germain and German giants Bayern Munich are also keen on the unsettled England hitman, with Rooney himself understood to fancy Barcelona. But Monaco`s billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev is on a mission to lead the club back to the top of European football and sees Rooney as the man to help him. His current deal expires in 2015 and is worth a whopping 230,000-pound a week. ANI