Rooney for Chelsea, Man City… or Down Under?

Robbie Fowler has launched a tongue-in-cheek bid to tempt want-away Manchester United star Wayne Rooney to humble Perth Glory, telling fans to “watch this space”.

Ex-Liverpool poacher Fowler, Glory’s glamour player, said he sounded out Rooney about a move to Australia’s A-League during a trip home to England, claiming the England striker “very, very interested”.

“The signs were good. I was really pleased with the chat we had and we’ll see where it takes us,” Fowler told the club’s website, www.perthglory.com.au.

“He’s very, very interested, yeah, so watch this space. Or listen to this space, depends on how it’s going, but I sold Perth to him and told him what a lovely place it is.”

Fowler said Glory were now in a three-way race with English giants Manchester City and Chelsea for Rooney, who stunned supporters by declaring he wants to leave 18-time league winners United.

“He’s thinking it over. He’s mulling it over just yet. I think it’s between us, Man City and Chelsea,” he told Channel Seven News.

Glory, the two-time Australian champions, play in signature purple kit at the 18,000-capacity nib Stadium in the west-coast city of Perth, the world’s most isolated regional capital.

The club is undergoing internal turmoil that began when coach Dave Mitchell abruptly stepped down last week after a run of four consecutive defeats, swiftly followed by assistant coach Kenny Lowe.

Rooney, 24, is likely to command a price tag stretching into the tens of millions of pounds (dollars) and hefty wages after his shock announcement, which brought a small mob of angry fans to his house near Manchester.