Arsenal and Chelsea Battle for Rooney as Neymar Urges Forward to Join Barcelona - Report

Arsenal have reportedly tabled a £20m offer for Wayne Rooney, prompting Chelsea to make their move for the Manchester United star soon.

The Gunners have been strongly linked with the England international ever since Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the player requested a transfer from Old Trafford last season. According to the Mirror, Arsene Wenger's side have now made their interest concrete with a £20m approach, which will spark a bidding war with London rivals Chelsea.

The report claims Blues boss Jose Mourinho has made Rooney one of his top targets for next season and has urged club chiefs to outbid any offer from Arsenal. Chelsea are in the market for a striker but have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Napoli's Edinson Cavani and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski.

However, it is understood that United continue to insist the 27-year-old will stay at Old Trafford. Rooney and new United manager David Moyes will meet this week to discuss his future, with the former Everton boss confident of convincing the Toffees product to remain at United.

Meanwhile, Neymar has encouraged Rooney to join him in moving to Barcelona this summer.

The Brazilian sensation sealed his switch from Santos to Camp Nou in a €57m deal, ahead of the Confederations Cup and will line up alongside Lionel Messi for the Catalans next season. The player has now urged Rooney to follow in his footsteps and join the La Liga champions.

"Wayne is one of the most gifted and technical players in the world. Of course he would improve Barcelona. He would improve any club in Europe. And on a personal level, it would be a dream to play with him," Neymar said.

"I have met Wayne on a few occasions and he seems a good guy but importantly, he is one of the players I admire most in the world. "The style of football Barcelona play and the level of the players we have - we are the perfect club for the top players to join," the 21-year-old added.