A major development in the story that many had dismissed as an impossibility has emerged from the BBC claiming that Wayne Rooney's agent has travelled to China in order to arrange a deal with a Super League club.
Just last night on BT Sport you could hear Paul Scholes give his view that Rooney's young family would be a big factor in terms of him staying local, even suggesting a return to Everton as an option, but instead it looks as though Manchester United and England's all-time leading goalscorer is at least open to the idea of heading to China.
The BBC are reporting that Paul Stretford has flown out without a deal in place, which makes a transfer before the February 28th deadline in China rather unlikely. Instead it appears to be Rooney's camp sounding out a potential summer move.
Wayne Rooney's agent Paul Stretford is in China to see if he can negotiate a deal for the forward to leave Manchester United.
There are no guarantees of success and it is thought a deal remains highly unlikely before the Chinese transfer window closes on 28 February.
But the fact Stretford has travelled to China is a clear indication United boss Jose Mourinho would let Rooney, 31, go.
And if he does not leave this month it seems certain he will go in the summer.
That escalated quickly.
Rooney would be the biggest coup for the Chinese Super League by a distance, although it remains unclear as to which team would have the best chance of persuading him to move.
This news also explains Jose Mourinho's comments earlier in the week, when he claimed that if Wayne Rooney was to leave Manchester United it would not be because he had been forced out, perhaps knowing that this story would be breaking soon.
The reports that saw Mourinho presented with the idea initially claimed that Rooney was unhappy with the lack of game time and his role within the squad, and they seem to be accurate. Manchester United fans, however, are unlikely to share those feelings as the team has found an identity that doesn't include the club captain.
An interesting development, time will tell whether or not Wayne Rooney goes on to become the star attraction of Chinese football, or goes for something a bit less drastic closer to home or in the MLS, but it looks as though his future lies away from Old Trafford.
