Wayne Rooney will enable Manchester City to 'win everything' says Carlos Tevez

The Argentine striker, who risked the wrath of United fans with his controversial move from Old Trafford to City in 2009 after failing to secure a regular first-team place and permanent contract, was asked by the Sheikh for his advice on whether to pursue his former team-mate.

City are facing strong competition from Chelsea to sign the England striker, who appears set to stay in the Premier League when he leaves Manchester United this January rather than consider a move abroad to Real Madrid.

Chelsea will make a lower bid than City but are convinced, according to sources, that they are ahead in the running, despite the assumption that Rooney wants to remain in the North West. The Premier League champions believe that Sir Alex Ferguson would rather sell to them, even though they would bid only around £20 million, than to City, who are expected to offer
£35-40 million, and that the United manager has the authority to do the deal.

However there is an acceptance that Chelsea will have to convince Rooney's wife, Coleen, to move south – which she is understood to be reluctant to do. He is believed to be prepared to join Chelsea or City and has no qualms about either move. Chelsea also believe they have an edge because of their track record of winning trophies, the experience of their squad and the reputation of their manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

Nevertheless, they would not offer the wages he would undoubtedly command at City, even though they would pay him substantially more than he is receiving at United.

It is a sign of how seriously City are taking their bid for Rooney that they have consulted Tévez, who played alongside the 24 year-old for two seasons at Old Trafford.

It is also clear that Mansour does not want to upset Tévez, who has endured a fractious relationship, at times, with City manager Roberto Mancini and who may fear that his role in the side will be usurped if Rooney is signed.

But Tévez, who is the City captain and has developed into the team's most important player, is hugely enthusiastic about the prospect of Rooney's arrival. He greatly admires Rooney as a player but, also, the two are good friends, with Rooney having often given Tévez lifts to training or to Manchester airport for away games when they played together.

It has been claimed that City may look to sell Tévez if they sign Rooney but the intention is to play both in the same side. Signing Rooney would also relieve some of the pressure on Tévez, who has carried the City attack this season.

Indeed City supporters may regard Rooney, with his aggression and prodigious work-rate, as a replacement for Craig Bellamy who, similarly, had a strong relationship with Tévez. The City striker's enthusiastic response to the possibility of signing Rooney has encouraged Mansour to make a bid which may now prove decisive.

Roy Keane, who fell out spectacularly with Ferguson towards the end of his playing career at Old Trafford, said last night that there was no way United would struggle were Rooney to leave. "Players have opinions, and if they want to leave then good luck to them," said the Ipswich manager. "Man Utd will more than survive."

Asked if Sir Alex Ferguson's side can still attract top quality players, the former United captain added: "Absolutely, of course, absolutely.

"If any player ever asked me, and one or two have, if they had a chance of signing for Man United, I would say, 'do it, you won't regret it'. I was there for 12½ years and I loved every minute of every day playing for that club."

Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager and former United defender, said last night that the Rooney stand-off showed how much the balance of power had shifted to players.

"Tactics are only a little bit-part of what we face, day in and day out. The biggest one is the man-management of the player now, with the power they have since Bosman. The power is all with the players and that, for me, is sad because it is very, very difficult for any club, this just goes to prove, even Manchester United.

"It just shows you, even the best manager in the world, with arguably one of the best clubs in the world, still has the problems we all face.

"It's not for me to question Wayne Rooney, but the only thing I find strange is, I played there for the best part of 10 years and to question their ambition, I find that unbelievable."

Arsène Wenger said the subject of Rooney was "too sensitive" to talk about when asked if Arsenal would be interested in the England striker.

However, he said: "It shows you how fragile the position of any club is at the moment, considering the length of contracts of players. When the players reach two years before the end of the contract, if you want to keep the value of it, you have to extend it or he will go for nothing in the end. The system is inflationary."