Arsene Wenger admits interest in want-away Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted his interest in signing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Rooney’s situation at Old Trafford is complicated – the England striker has requested a transfer but United insist he is not for sale. Wenger is aware that Rooney is unsettled and admits that he is keeping a watching brief on the situation.

“Rooney could be an interesting player for everybody in the world, who would turn him down?” Wenger told Al Jazeera.

“David Moyes’ first challenge is to go in to Manchester and bridge the gap between him and Rooney. If that is feasible or not depends on his personality and if Rooney bears a grudge or not, we will see.

“It will be interesting to see how that will be handled.”

Wenger also said that he is keeping an eye on former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, who he feels is struggling with his confidence because he is not getting regular football at Barcelona.

“I think at the moment he’s lacking the confidence of being a regular player,” added Wenger. “Recently he has not been that.

“Cesc is such a passionate player, a player of such quality, that it must hurt him not to play in every single game. That’s what he misses. When you come in and out you never play with full confidence.”