Stoke City have no interest in Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney

Stoke City chief executive Tony Scholes says there have been 'no conversations' between the Potters and Manchester United regarding Wayne Rooney and described the story linking the mooted Everton target to the Bet365 Stadium as 'wild speculation'.

Rooney, 31, is set to leave the Red Devils in the summer after falling down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho. It was reported last month that Stoke were readying a £45m 'package' to tempt Rooney into making the short trip down from Manchester, but Potters chief executive Scholes poured cold water over the claims and expressed his bemusement as to how the link may have come to pass.

"What I can't do is shed any light on where the rumours have come from," Scholes told The Stoke Sentinel. "That happens at this time of year. We have some speculation, some of it is based upon some truth, no smoke without fire, but other times you get wild speculation, and the Wayne Rooney one falls into the latter category.

"Wayne Rooney has been one of the best players of his generation. He has been, and still is, a great football player. But there have been no conversations whatsoever about Wayne Rooney coming to Stoke."

Despite becoming United's all-time leading goalscorer, Rooney endured a rather disappointing season from a personal perspective. The former Everton wonderkid started just 15 matches for Mourinho's side in the Premier League last season and was only afforded mere seconds of Manchester United's Europa League final win over Ajax in May.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has made his interest in Rooney clear over the last few months, while Blues director of football Steve Walsh has also advocated a move for England's record goalscorer.

But with the recent acquisition of Holland international Davy Klaassen combined with Everton's long-standing interest in Swansea City playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, a potential move for Rooney seems unlikely at this stage, with the Chinese Super League and MLS believed to be other possible destinations for the Manchester United captain.