Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is happy to smash their wage structure to land Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. The Mirror says the Arsenal hierarchy will back Wenger not just in terms of big money for transfers but also for contracts and they are capable of competing to sign Rooney.

Gunners boss Wenger's top earner is Theo Walcott on £90,000-a-week-plus and Arsenal can push their boundaries well beyond £150,000-a-week for the right player.

Rooney, 27, is out of favour at Manchester United and has been targeted by Paris Saint Germain, Monaco and Chelsea but Arsenal are watching developments and the England striker's name has been discussed.

Arsenal have a big hit-list of transfer targets with Wenger having £70m-plus at his disposal thanks to the club's new commercial deals with Emirates and kit makers Puma.