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Chelsea's strategist Jose Mourinho admitted he does not hold high hopes of acquiring Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney.
The English national team player has been linked with the London team all summer, but after a fine performance in Monday's draw between the two teams and warm support from the fans, it is predicted that he will most likely stay in Manchester.
"It is a special club with special fans who support the player even when he says he wants to leave," said Jose Mourinho. "Therefore, I have reason to believe that Rooney will want to stay. If that is his decision, we will respect it."
Before the match, Mourinho said he would not make a new offer until Tuesday, as he did not want to negatively affect Manchester United's preparation for the match. However, it is now unclear whether a new offer will be made at all: "Everything depends on Rooney. If he doesn't want to leave, we will step back, but the situation needs to be evaluated."
If Chelsea fails to attract Rooney, they are likely to try to acquire Anzhi Makhachkala star Samuel Eto'o. The English club will pay around 3 million euros for the Cameroonian, who has scored two goals in six matches in the Russian championship this season.
