Alan Shearer confirms Newcastle United club record bid for Man Utd forward after £20m Everton snub

Alan Shearer has reflected on Newcastle United's unsuccessful attempt to sign Wayne Rooney.

Newcastle saw a club-record £20million bid rejected by Everton for the forward prior to his move to Manchester United in 2004. According to Shearer, The Magpies returned with another bid to sign the forward after he had joined The Red Devils.

Rooney was one of the most sought-after young talents in world football following his impressive Euro 2004 tournament with England which saw him score four goals in four games at just 18-years-old.

Rooney went on to become both Manchester United and England's all-time top scorer during his playing career as Newcastle, and Shearer, were left thinking about what could have been.

Rooney was also tipped to break Shearer's all-time Premier League goal record but ended his career 52 goals shy of Shearer's 260-goal record. Shearer was approaching the end of his career when Rooney burst onto the scene but was sceptical about his chances of ever playing alongside the forward at the time.

Speaking on the Rest is Football Podcast, Shearer admitted: "Yeah they did [submit a bid]. I don’t know how serious it was, the old chairman at the time Freddie Shepherd, his son was involved in the agency so whether it was to speed a new contract up, I don’t know. But Newcastle did put a bid in for him when he was at Man United. 

“Definitely a bid went it for him. It would have been great but I don’t think realistically it was ever going to happen.”