Former England boss Eriksson’s Shanghai SIPG want Rooney, 30, to spearhead their AFC Champions League bid – with the Swede viewing the Red Devils striker as the man to send the profile of Chinese football soaring.
Shanghai SIPG have tabled a $34 million offer to United to snare captain Rooney during the January transfer window, with the Old Trafford icon still having three years to run on his $550,000-a-week contract.
However, Rooney - who would pocket $45 million a season in his great haul from China - has told Van Gaal he is staying put for now and won’t be joining the likes of Socceroos star Tim Cahill, Robinho, Asamoah Gyan and Demba Ba in football’s new frontier.
With van Gaal planning to freshen his striking stocks and Rooney’s once piercing presence now blunted, he has been informed by the Dutchman that his place as a starter is no longer guaranteed at Old Trafford.
Rooney, who has won five Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League crown in his 11 years with the Red Devils, scored United’s winner as they squeezed home 2-1 against relegation-threatened Swansea City last weekend.
While he retains iconic status among the many fans, he is viewed by many others as a fading force. The usually reliable goal flow has slowed to a trickle this season with Rooney scoring just three in 16 league games, with his overall United tally standing at 173 goals in 356 Premier League games.
Eriksson, who is willing to offer Rooney a three-year deal with the club, which finished second in the CSL last season, is proving dogged in his pursuit of a player he believes will take Chinese football "to the next level".
"Football is becoming huge here and they have very big ambitions for the Chinese Super League," Eriksson told The Sun in November.
"Rooney is at another level. He is top, top, top - in the same category as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."
The bid to land Rooney coincides with him being named England Player of the Year for 2015, retaining the title he won in 2014.
The Three Lions skipper earned 37 per cent of the votes cast by members of the England Supporters Club and has now won it four times.
He netted five England goals last year, overtaking Sir Bobby Charlton as his country's record goalscorer during EURO 2016 qualification.
